Local doctor headed toward Texas disaster

Some people are reaching into their pockets to help with Harvey relief, while others are headed straight to the disaster zone.

“This will definitely be the worst disaster I’ve been to,” Dr. Mona Khanna told KESQ News Channel 3’s and CBS Local 2’s Katie Widner. “Of all the disasters I’ve worked over the last 20 years, the worst has been Hurricane Katrina and what’s sad about that is, that Houston is probably five to 10 times worse than Katrina.”

Khanna has provided medical treament at disaster sites all over the world, from Haiti, to the Ghana to Brazil. On Wednesday, she was packing her bags just one day after the Department of Health and Human Services activated its Disaster Medical Assistance teams.

“We were officially actived last night,” she said.

Khanna will be heading to Dallas with Texas Medical Disaster Team Four, one of several federal teams responding to the aftermath of Harvey. It was not immediately known where she would be stationed.

“It could be Houston, Corpus Christi or Louisiana,” Khanna said.

She will find out after she is briefed on the mission. She said she will use her medical abilities to treat some of those affected by the storm, such as people whose bodies may have become waterlogged, or those who do not have current tetnus shots, or up-to-date vaccinations.

“I’m worried about water born illnesses,” she said.”What we’re going to see now in terms of the medical conditions after Harvey, are things that are not very commonly seen and that we are going to have to treat,” she said.

Khanna said she could be there for up to two to four weeks.