Tennessee Hospital Roof Becomes Lifeline as Flood-Stranded Patients Airlifted to Safety

Tennessee Hospital Roof Becomes Lifeline as Flood-Stranded Patients Airlifted to Safety
Image Via: WV News

As Hurricane Helene’s remnants deliver torrential rains to the state, authorities successfully airlifted over fifty individuals who were stuck by swiftly rising floodwaters from the roof of a hospital in Erwin, in eastern Tennessee, on Friday, according to hospital administrators and officials.

“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,” hospital chain Ballad Health stated.

According to Ballad Health, the rescue was carried out by the Tennessee National Guard and Virginia State Police. An official from VSP verified that aviation units from Abingdon had contributed to the operation.

According to a military statement, the Tennessee National Guard used three Blackhawk helicopters for the mission, and the patients and staff were transferred to a nearby high school.

According to Ballad Health, the facility was “engulfed by extremely dangerous and rapidly moving water” from the Nolichucky River, prompting the start of the “dangerous rescue operation” early on Friday.

The property flooded “so quickly the ambulances could not safely approach,” according to Ballad Health, despite the fact that county officials had dispatched ambulances to evacuate eleven hospital patients.

Although boats were sent in to help with the evacuation, they were not able to cross the water surrounding the hospital in a safe manner.

Read Also: Tragedy in Helene: Veteran Firefighter and 4-Year-Old Girl Among the Dead

Additionally, Ballad Health stated that strong winds hindered the helicopters from reaching the stranded individuals, but by 2:30 p.m., the helicopters had made it to carry out the rescue mission, as reported by Rep. Diana Harshbarger on X.

According to Ballad Health, there were seven persons in rescue boats and fifty-four people on the roof.

In the late hours of Thursday night, Hurricane Helene made landfall as a powerful Category 4 storm in the Big Bend region of Florida. Since then, the status has been lowered to tropical depression.

Numerous states have reported dozens of fatalities as a result of the storm’s historic and catastrophic flooding, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Reference

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With more than two years of expertise in news and analysis, Eileen Stewart is a seasoned reporter. Eileen is a respected voice in this field, well-known for her sharp reporting and insightful analysis. Her writing covers a wide range of subjects, from politics to culture and more.