A small town hospital that sits along an east Tennessee riverbank was quickly overcome with floodwaters, and many of those inside had to be rescued from the roof.
According to the NY Post, the rescue took place at Unicoi County Hospital, in Erwin, Tennessee. The hospital sits along the North Carolina border, where plenty of damage was done by Hurricane Helene.
Helene's storm surge caused heavy rains and flooding across much of the southern United States after the storm made landfall Thursday night. As a result, thousands of police officers, firefighters, National Guard members and others sprung into action on rescue missions. Hundreds have been rescued, but tragedy has been unavoidable, regardless of heroic efforts from rescuers.
As more information has come in regarding the storm's impact, it has been confirmed that 44 have died to this point.
East Tennessee Hospital Requires Rescue Evacuation from Roof
Unicoi Hospital sits along the Nolichucky River. On Friday morning, the river's waters overflowed the banks and flooded the medical facility. In total, 11 patients and dozens of others were in the hospital, and needing a rescue. Boats sent from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency were unable to maneuver the treacherous waters. Therefore, a decision was made to send more than 50 people to the roof of the hospital. Moreover, 7 individuals were trapped in the rescue boats, after being the first of those to hop in the vessels.
Several helicopters were unable to make their way to the hospital roof. The winds from the storm made the approach exceptionally difficult. Despite previous failures, a Virginia State Police helicopter eventually landed on the roof. Moreover, three National Guard helicopters and a Ballad Health helicopter were sent over to help with the rescue.
After 4 trying hours, it was reported that all those in need of rescue had been evacuated from Unicoi Hospital. The rescue is one of many that have occurred over the last day in a half. In the case of the Unicoi Hospital, the unforgiving nature of flooding water made things very difficult, very quickly.
Thankfully, many rescue missions have been successful throughout the southern United States. Still, Hurricane Helene has been devastating, regardless of the great efforts to minimize its impact.
