Over 50 People Trapped on Tennessee Hospital Roof by Hurricane Helene Floodwaters Rescued

Over 50 people who were left stranded on the roof of a Tennessee hospital due to flooding from Hurricane Helene have been rescued, police said.

After the Category 4 hurricane tore through several U.S. states on the night of Thursday, Sept. 26, many communities were left with severe flooding — including Unicoi County, Tenn. Patients and hospital staff at Unicoi County Hospital were forced to evacuate to the roof when the flooding began.

By the morning of Friday, Sept. 27, outlets including WCYB, WJHL and USA Today reported that Ballad Health, which operates the Erwin, Tenn. hospital, announced that 54 people were trapped on the roof, and seven others were nearby on boats. The hospital also said it had ceased operation around 10:45 a.m.

Law enforcement including the Erwin Police Department reported severe problems with the rescue operations and declared a state of emergency in the town, located on the border of North Carolina. The flooding was caused by rapidly rising water from the Nolichucky River, WJHL reported.

WCYB reported earlier on Friday that all roads with access to the hospital were "impassable" due to the flooding. Police cruisers and ambulances had been lost in the deep waters.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The outlet also reported that a SWAT team happened to be training at the hospital at the time, and the team members were able to save medications.

Ballad Health wrote in a statement earlier on Friday that boats had been deployed to rescue the patients -

‘Chucky’ Canceled After Thre,...

and staff, but the conditions quickly became too rough, per WJHL.

"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 stated in the release. “Due to high winds, no helicopters could safely fly in an effort to help evacuate the hospital.”

Law enforcement and other government agencies began working together to start rescue operations. By the early afternoon, Virginia State Police had reported that its aviation units had flown from Abingdon, Va. to Erwin to assist in the rescue, along with staff from Ballad Health and the Tennessee National Guard.

At around 4:40 p.m. local time, Virginia State Police announced that its team had successfully evacuated 54 people from the hospital. According to WJHL, Ballad Health said everyone had been successfully evacuated from the hospital, and patients in need of transferred medical care were taken to the Johnson City Medical Center about 20 miles away.

Ballad Health CEO Alan Levine said during a press conference held at a nearby high school after the rescue that the hospital building was "a complete write-off" due to the damage done by the flooding.

"There’s no way the building’s gonna survive this," he said, per WJHL. "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. I’m just thankful to God and everybody that our people are safe."

Related Articles

Follow Us

The Pioneer Woman, Drew Barrymore, and M,...