My life with hurricanes.

About the author: I am currently working on the Gulf Coast in the division of general pediatrics at the University of TexasMedical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston. In the 1970s I attended medical school at Louisiana State University in New Orleans. After that I went to UTMB for my general pediatrics residency. I practiced general pediatrics in Longview, Texas, for 32 years afterward. I served as president of the Texas Pediatric Society. Currently, I am chapter vice-chair for the Texas chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and amember of the AAP Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine. I made a practice change partially because of Katrina but more as a result of an intense period of storms that affected the central Gulf Coast during the last 5 years. As a result of these storms UTMB hasmore actively sought innovative ways to meet the needs of people it serves so as not leave medical services vulnerable to hurricanes. I am themedical director of a new outpatient facility that serves both subspecialty pediatrics and general pediatrics. I am now living on the Texas coast as part of the faculty and am keenly aware of the needs for organized responses for the benefit of children in particular.