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About the Header Image: Idlebrook Wendy Darling Evensen "Wendy" one of our four Labrador Retrievers.

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Sunday, May 26, 2013

Medical Evacuation from Labadee

Good morning,

People get sick and need medical attention everywhere, even on cruises where they sometimes need to be evacuated to a hospital for specialized care.
These first images are of the crew converting Freedom of the Seas' helipad from an observation deck to a helipad for an incoming helicopter.
We are tied up in Labadee, Haiti, so the helicopter will have a stationary spot on which to land.
Without the zoom from the upper part of the ship, you can see the dock walkway to the island.
The crew continues to move quickly.
 When it was time for the helicopter to arrive, the foot traffic on the dock to the island was stopped and everyone on the forward part of the ship was asked to move for safety reasons.
 
I positioned myself just behind the forward mast and soon could hear the helicopter approaching.  If you look closely you can see it right in the middle of the sun in the image above.
 
 The helicopter circled the ship....
 ...then approached the helipad from the port side.
 There were a few other people out on the deck watching, too.

 The helicopter landed on the deck and was gone in less than five minutes in the opposite direction.

Sadly, there was another medical evacuation later that afternoon.  The second patient and condition were unrelated to the first.

I've witnessed many evacuations over many years, but never before have I seen two separate evacuations in one day. 

All the best,
Lois

10 comments:

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Sorry to read about passengers having medical problems especially when they were out on a fun trip. Nice to see they can get prompt care.
The pelicans from a previous post seem to have a good thing going with a private beach area. And, the white roses were lovely as well.

Sherry said...

You don't like to think of someone on a cruise having a medical emergency, but those things can happen anywhere. It's great that the cruise ship companies have plans in place for these things.

TexWisGirl said...

i just hate to hear about these! my heart goes out to the patients and their traveling companion(s) as it must be so terrifying...

Faye said...

The older I get, the more travel insurance I purchase for just these emergencies. Travel is strenuous, even if you're healthy to begin with. It does put a damper on the rest of your trip--both for the people who suffered the medical emergency and the other tour members because you continue to think of them and hope for a good outcome. Smooth sailing for the remainder of your trip, Lois!

Sherrill said...

On our last cruise, we had two evacuations but not on the same day. The first one we had to turn around and go back to Nassau and the second was at sea. Both were crew members!

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Too bad they had to be evacuated but the crew seems well trained. I like the safety precautions also.

Bob Bushell said...

Beautiful images Lois.

Home on the Range said...

Prayers for their cargo. I have the deepest respect for the men and women that fly and crew those flights. It's hard, dangerous work, and they are truly unsung heroes.

MarkD60 said...

Surprised the helicopter landed with those benches there.

Lois Evensen said...

Mark, the benches were removed before the helicopter landed. There is more than enough room for the helicopter. What is even more incredible is when they do this while we are at sea and the helicopter just hovers.

Here's one we had on Splendour of the Seas off the coast of Norway:

http://www.evensens.us/evacuation/evacuation.html

All the best,
Lois