Dramatic moment scores are rescued from roof of underwater hospital as Hurricane Helene drowns Tennessee
More than 50 patients and caregivers were dramatically rescued after taking shelter on the roof of a hospital in Tennessee when a nearby river burst its banks.
Ambulances rushed to Unicoi County Hospital amid treacherous flooding caused by Hurricane Helene, leaving no time to escape.
Dozens were driven from the building’s interior and forced onto the roof in howling wind and rain as the Nolichucky River flooded.
Muddy brown water quickly surrounded the structure, which was built in 2018, while weather conditions were so horrific that it made rescue efforts even more difficult.
More than 50 patients and their caregivers were dramatically rescued Friday after dozens of patients sought shelter on the roof of a Tennessee hospital after a nearby river burst its banks.
54 people were rescued from the roof of Unicoi County Hospital in Tennessee
Several ambulances, cruisers and other emergency vehicles flooded the area as floodwaters inundated the area
All roads to the hospital were completely impassable due to flooding. Several cruisers and ambulances were lost.
A SWAT team was training at the time and was able to collect medications for the patients.
The dramatic scene at the hospital sites near the North Carolina border was one of many that unfolded in Helene’s wake across the southern US.
Flooding caused by the storm surge and torrential rain sent thousands of police officers, firefighters, National Guard members and others on rescue missions. Hundreds were rescued, but at least forty died.
Unicoi County Hospital attempted to evacuate 11 patients and 43 others Friday morning when the facility flooded, but the water was too treacherous for boats sent by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
It was then decided to take everyone to the roof.
Ambulances rushed to the scene, but flooding caused by Hurricane Helene was so bad they could not reach the hospital, forcing patients and caregivers to take to the roof
Several hospital emergency vehicles were lost due to the flooding
“The water there simply came up faster with more debris than was safe to work in the rafts to get from a dry point back to the hospital,” said Patrick Sheehan, Tennessee’s director of emergency operations.
After other helicopters were unable to reach the hospital due to the storm’s winds, a Virginia State Police helicopter was able to land on the roof.
Three National Guard helicopters with lift capabilities were en route, officials said.
“We ask everyone to please pray for the people at Unicoi County Hospital, the first responders on the scene, the military leaders actively working to help, and our state leaders,” Ballad Health, the hospital’s owner, said on social media .
Helicopters were initially unable to assist in the rescue due to strong winds
The nearby Nolichucky River overflowed with muddy brown water that swamped the building
Everyone was rescued from the hospital by 4:15 p.m. and all affected patients had been transferred to Johnson City Medical Center.
Hurricane Helen left a huge trail of destruction across Florida and the entire southeastern US, killing at least forty people in four states, snapping trees like twigs, tearing homes apart and sending rescue crews on desperate missions to save people from floods.