UNICOI COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — More than 50 people were sent to the roof of a Tennessee hospital on Friday, waiting for hours to be rescued as flooding cut the hospital off from land.
Ballad Health, a hospital chain headquartered in Tennessee, said at 10:45 a.m. that the Unicoi County Hospital had closed and suspended operations due to the threat of flooding.
Unicoi County Emergency Management Agency told hospital leadership that the hospital needed to be evacuated due to the “unusually high and rising water from the Nolichucky River.”
There were 11 patients at the hospital that Ballad planned to transfer, but ambulances sent to evacuate them could not safely get there due to the rising water.
“The hospital has been engulfed by extremely dangerous and rapidly moving water,” Ballad said in a news release. The water started coming into the building and was moving so quickly, rescue boats weren’t able to safely navigate the area.
By around 12:30 p.m., 54 people had been relocated to the hospital’s roof, Ballad said.
“Due to high winds, no helicopters could safely fly in an effort to help evacuate the hospital,” the company said.
By 2:50 p.m., conditions had improved and rescues by helicopter got underway. About two hours later, all the patients and staff had been rescued. Patients were transferred to another area hospital.
Nexstar’s WJHL made attempts to get close to the hospital, but roads in the area are impassable. WJHL’s Drone 11 was able to capture video of the people stranded on the roof. The drone footage also shows the extent of the flooding in the area.
The National Guard sent resources to work with Tennessee emergency crews in order to assist in what Ballad leaders described as “a dangerous rescue operation.”
“We ask everyone to please pray for the people at Unicoi County Hospital, the first responders on-scene, the military leaders who are actively working to help and our state leaders,” the release stated.
Elective surgeries at Ballad facilities have been postponed, and several of the hospital system’s clinics and urgent care offices have closed.
As rescue operations were underway, Ballad Health CEO Alan Levine told WJHL he feared the Unicoi County Hospital was damaged beyond repair.
“I think it’s a complete write-off. I mean there’s no way the building is going to survive this,” Levine said. “We’ll take a look at it once the water goes down but it’s a shame. It’s a brand new hospital. But you know what? It’s just a building, we can figure that out later. I’m just thankful to God and everybody that our people are safe.”
Unicoi County, located in eastern Tennessee along the state’s border with North Carolina, was hit with heavy rain as Tropical Storm Helene moved through the area Friday. Parts of nearby Cocke County residents were ordered to evacuate after the Waterville Dam suffered a “catastrophic failure.”