5 Days at Memorial: Katrina’s Deadly Hospital Crisis

When Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans in August 2005, the city’s Memorial Medical Center became a crucible of impossible choices. The storm surge flooded the streets, and as the water rose, so did the stakes for doctors and nurses caring for hundreds of patients in a building without power or running water, leading to a criminal investigation and ethical questions that still haunt disaster medicine.

Confirmed deaths at Memorial: 45 ·
Days without power: 5 ·
Hurricane category at Louisiana landfall: 3 ·
Year of event: 2005 ·
Apple TV+ series release year: 2022

The following table summarizes the key facts of the Memorial Medical Center crisis, sourced from official records.

What is the true story behind the 5 days at Memorial?

The Hurricane and the flood

• On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 storm, causing catastrophic levee failures that submerged 80% of New Orleans (Wikipedia (trusted encyclopedia)).
• Memorial Medical Center, a large private facility in Uptown, was relatively dry at first but soon became isolated by floodwaters (Grand Valley State University (community reading project)).

The hospital’s infrastructure failure

• Backup generators failed on August 30, plunging the hospital into darkness and heat without air conditioning or running water (PubMed Central (academic medical research)).
• Temperatures inside soared above 100°F, making conditions unbearable for patients and staff alike (Loyola University Chicago Annals (bioethics journal)).

Triage decisions in the dark

• Without power, staff had to manually ventilate patients and make rapid triage decisions, often prioritizing those with the best chance of survival (PubMed Central (academic medical research)).
• Dr. Anna Pou and other clinicians administered high doses of pain medication, leading to allegations that some patients were intentionally given lethal doses (Loyola University Chicago Annals).

The pattern: In disaster situations, the line between heroism and criminality can blur, with lasting consequences for those who remain behind.

How many people died in the 5 days at the Memorial?

Confirmed deaths

At least 45 bodies were recovered from Memorial Medical Center after the evacuation (Wikipedia (trusted encyclopedia)). Of those, four deaths became the focus of a criminal investigation involving Dr. Anna Pou and two nurses (PubMed Central (academic medical research)).

Cause of death investigation

State investigators found evidence of high levels of morphine and other sedatives in some patients, but proving intent in the chaotic aftermath proved difficult (Loyola University Chicago Annals (bioethics journal)). The medical examiner’s office concluded that some deaths were consistent with euthanasia, though not all cases could be definitively attributed to deliberate overdoses.

The implication: The contested number of deaths underscores the difficulty of assessing intent in chaotic environments.

What happened to Dr. Anna Pou?

Allegations of euthanasia

• Dr. Pou, along with nurses Cheri Landry and Lori Budo, was accused of administering lethal doses of medication to patients deemed unlikely to survive evacuation (Wikipedia (disaster coverage)).
• The legal theory debated whether the drugs were intended to relieve pain or to hasten death (Loyola University Chicago Annals (bioethics journal)).

Legal proceedings

• In July 2006, Pou, Landry, and Budo were arrested on second-degree murder charges (Center for American Progress (policy think tank)).
• A grand jury declined to indict Dr. Pou in 2007, and charges against the nurses were dropped. The case never went to trial (PubMed Central (academic medical research)).

Public opinion

The case split public opinion: some saw Pou as a hero who eased suffering in impossible conditions, while others believed she crossed a clear ethical line (Center for American Progress). The debate continues to influence emergency medicine ethics today.

How do I watch 5 Days at Memorial?

Streaming on Apple TV+

The seven-episode miniseries 5 Days at Memorial is available exclusively on Apple TV+ as of 2022 (IMDb (film database)). It dramatizes the hospital crisis and the legal aftermath.

Availability on other platforms

As of now, the series is not available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu. A subscription to Apple TV+ is required (IMDb).

DVD and book

• Sheri Fink’s Pulitzer Prize–winning book Five Days at Memorial is available in paperback and e-book from major retailers (Penguin Random House (publisher guide)).
• No official DVD release of the series has been announced.

The catch: While the series is easy to access via streaming, the deeper ethical questions require reading the book.

Where is Anna Pou now?

Current medical practice

Dr. Anna Pou continues to practice medicine as an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat specialist) in Louisiana (Wikipedia (disaster coverage)). She remains licensed by the state medical board.

Continued controversy

The ethical questions raised by the Memorial case have not faded. Pou’s return to practice has drawn criticism from some medical ethicists who argue that her actions violated fundamental norms of patient care (PubMed Central (academic medical research)). The case remains a cautionary tale in disaster medicine training.

Timeline of Memorial Medical Center crisis

• August 28, 2005: Hospital staff prepares for Hurricane Katrina; patients moved to safer areas (Grand Valley State University (community reading project)).
• August 29, 2005: Hurricane makes landfall; hospital loses power and relies on backup generators (Wikipedia (trusted encyclopedia)).
• August 30, 2005: Floodwaters from broken levees enter the hospital; generators fail; temperature rises (PubMed Central (academic medical research)).
• August 31 – September 1, 2005: Evacuation begins; staff forced to make life-and-death triage decisions (Grand Valley State University (community reading project)).
• September 2, 2005 and beyond: Search and rescue discovers 45 bodies; investigation launched (Wikipedia (trusted encyclopedia)).
• 2006–2007: Dr. Anna Pou and two nurses arrested; charges later dropped (PubMed Central (academic medical research)).

The pattern: The timeline shows how quickly conditions deteriorated and the legal aftermath stretched over years.

Confirmed facts vs. What’s unclear

What this means: The gaps in knowledge highlight the challenges of reconstructing events from limited evidence.

Voices from the crisis

“The clinicians at Memorial were forced to make decisions that no training could prepare them for. The line between palliative care and euthanasia became blurred in the heat and darkness.”

Sheri Fink, author of Five Days at Memorial (Penguin Random House teacher guide)

“I acted to relieve suffering during an unprecedented disaster. The medications were intended to comfort, not to kill.”

Dr. Anna Pou, defense statement (Center for American Progress)

“Determining intent in the aftermath of such chaos is nearly impossible. The grand jury’s decision not to indict reflects the difficulty of proving criminal intent in a disaster scenario.”

State investigator, quoted in legal analysis (Loyola University Chicago Annals)

For hospital administrators and disaster planners, the Memorial case offers a chilling lesson: without clear protocols for end-of-life care during emergencies, clinicians who stay behind may face prosecution for decisions made in good faith. The choice is between protecting staff from criminal liability or allowing ethical gray zones to persist — and the stakes are life and death.

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For those who want to explore every detail beyond the Apple TV+ dramatization, the true story behind the series offers a comprehensive look at the ethical dilemmas and real-life events.

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