First went the power. Then came the water, and for five days, the country's oldest hospital was under siege. The never-before-told story of the heroic doctors, nurses, and patients who fought to survive Hurricane Katrina at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. This book traces a remarkable five-day transformation of an infirm institution, caught in a sea of death and indifference, into an island of care and tenderness. The hour-by-hour recreation of this hospital's final days is one of the most grievous and heroic stories in American history. Jim Carrier, who moved to New Orleans 28 days before Katrina (and lost his home), recreates with emotional and poignant detail the rich, sad and uplifting saga of Charity Hospital.