A Los Angeles hospital faced a series of power outages which led to the evacuation of 28 critically ill patients and the relocation of 213 other patients to a different building in the medical center. The power failure occurred at Adventist Health White Memorial's main six-story building, causing the elevators to disable.

Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley stated that more than 100 firefighters and multiple ambulances were dispatched to the facility located east of downtown Los Angeles. The affected building included OB-GYN and neonatal intensive care units. Despite the disruption, hospital president John Raffoul assured the public that all patients were safe.

He expressed his concern for the vulnerable patients, especially those in critical care, whose lives are dependent on medical equipment such as respirators and ventilators. Raffoul acknowledged the risk faced by the babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit due to the power outage.

The hospital initially lost power at 3 a.m. on Monday as a result of the heavy rainfall caused by Tropical Storm Hilary. Backup generators, which were expected to last for three days, were activated. However, a second blackout occurred at 11:45 p.m. on Monday, prompting the fire department to evacuate patients with the assistance of firefighters down the stairs.

The cause of these double failures is currently unknown, but Raffoul conveyed that a major storm had hit Southern California, possibly causing the outages. He mentioned that the hospital purchased its generators in 2008 and had been regularly testing them. A new generator has been ordered to prevent further power failures in the future.

Mayor Karen Bass called for a thorough investigation into the incident, emphasizing the need to prevent such risks to patients' lives from arising again. The power outages at the hospital highlight the importance of reliable power sources for critical medical facilities during extreme weather events.