Helene’s flooding forces Tennessee hospital staff to flee to roof

Due to heavy flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Helene, more than 50 people at a Tennessee hospital were forced to find refuge on the building’s roof, as rising waters inundated the facility.

More than 50 staff members of Unicoi County Hospital in Tennessee, shown above, fled to the roof to avoid heavy flooding from Hurricane Helene. Emergency responders are engaged in rescue operations, which are being complicated by the flooding.

The staff and a number of patients of Unicoi County Hospital rushed to the building’s roof Friday morning, officials said. Ballad Health, which operates the hospital, said 54 staff were on the roof awaiting rescue, while seven patients were in rescue boats.

Late Friday afternoon, Ballad Health said everyone had been rescued and they are all safe.

"All hospital personnel and patients have been rescued from Unicoi County Hospital. As of 4:40 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, no one remains at the facility," Ballad said on its Facebook page.

The hospital is closed until further notice. All of the patients have been transferred to Johnson City Medical Center, and their loved ones have been notified, the system said.

Two Virginia State Police helicopters rescued most of those on the roof. The Virginia State Police captured video of the hospital surrounded by floodwaters.

Those on the roof had to wait for hours until they were rescued. At 12:27 p.m., Ballad said, “The hospital has been engulfed by extremely dangerous and rapidly moving water."

Ballad Health said rising water from the Nolichucky River and strong winds complicated rescue efforts.

The hospital sought to evacuate patients Friday morning, and Unicoi County dispatched ambulances, but “the flooding of the property happened so quickly the ambulances could not safely approach the hospital,” Ballad said.

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and the National Guard coordinated rescue efforts. The state emergency management agency said the rescue efforts were being complicated by the rapid rise of the river, which is also filled with debris.

Emergency responders initially attempted to evacuate patients with boats, but the flooding deterred those efforts.

“Unfortunately, the water around the hospital, which had also begun intruding inside the hospital, became extremely dangerous and impassable and prevented the boats from safely being able to evacuate the hospital,” Ballad said earlier in the afternoon.

Strong winds initially prevented the use of helicopters to get people off the roof earlier in the day.

“The situation at the hospital is very dangerous and TEMA and National Guard resources are engaged in what can only be described as a dangerous rescue operation,” Ballad said on Facebook.

All roads leading to the hospital were impassable due to flooding, and waters have swept away ambulances, WCYB-TV reported.

Ballad Health said it has also closed Sycamore Shoals Hospital and is evacuating patients from the facility in Elizabethton, Tenn. Ballad has also postponed elective surgeries at all of its facilities.

Hurricane Helene struck Florida’s “Big Bend” region late Thursday. Hospitals in Florida closed clinics and transferred patients ahead of the storm, and several hospitals evacuated before Helene's arrival. Some Georgia facilities have also closed clinics and paused services due to the storm.