As floodwaters ripped through Tennessee, patients and staff members at a hospital were left stranded on a roof as floodwaters surrounded the medical center.
More than 50 people were left stranded on the roof of Unicoi County Hospital as floodwaters raged around the facility.
The patients and personnel at the hospital have since been rescued, according to Senator Bill Hagerty.
Sen. Hagerty wrote in a post on X, “Everyone has been rescued safely from the roof of Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin. More trouble is on the horizon for East Tennessee communities. Please stay safe, and thank you for your prayers!”
WJHL reported the patients and personnel were airlifted off the roof by the Highlands Emergency Air Rescue & Transport (HEART) helicopter team, which worked alongside the Tennessee National Guard.
WATCH:
At least 54 people were rescued from the rooftop of a Tennessee hospital on Friday after floodwaters due to Hurricane #Helene quickly surrounded the medical center. Video of the rescue operation showed helicopters landing on top of that building and loading people up.… pic.twitter.com/2SMG2Nf0kS
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) September 27, 2024
Per ABC News:
At least 54 people were trapped on the roof of a hospital in Tennessee on Friday after floodwaters due to Hurricane Helene quickly surrounded the medical center.
Everyone was rescued safely, Sen. Bill Hagerty said in a statement.
Unicoi County Hospital — located in the northeastern part of the state on the border with North Carolina — took on so much flooding that those inside could no longer be safely evacuated and had to relocate to the roof.
In addition to the people trapped on the roof, seven people were in rescue boats. The National Guard and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) are currently engaged in “a dangerous rescue operation,” according to Ballad Health, a health care company that runs a chain of hospitals.
Another view of Unicoi County Hospital in Tennessee.
Rescue operation with helicopters underway now. pic.twitter.com/5wbOZeaW9Y— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) September 27, 2024
No patients or personnel were harmed during the rescue mission.
