(This report has been updated with new information)
On September 27, 54 people were rescued from the roof of Unicoi County Hospital after being stranded by flooding caused by Tropical Storm Helen.
Virginia State Police spokesman Matt Demlein told USA TODAY Network that Virginia State Police concluded the rescue operation around 4:45 p.m. and used two helicopters to rescue 40 to 45 people. . Other agencies participating in the rescue operation also rescued the remaining patients and staff.
Unicoi County Sheriff Mike Hensley told Knox News that helicopters from across the area watched as helicopters descended onto the roof after flood waters rose so quickly that authorities were unable to even get boats close to the building. spoke.
“It was a chaotic situation. We couldn’t get to them by boat and strong winds were blowing and water was pouring in around the hospital. Thank God the hospital was safe. It collapsed. I was waiting for it,” Hensley said.
National Guard and state and local police helicopters from nearby Virginia and Tennessee rescued the patients, including crews from three Black Hawk helicopters from Knoxville. All those pulled from the roof are being treated at other area facilities.
Unicoi Hospital will remain closed until further notice.
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“The big issue is trying to access some of these rural areas,” Hensley told Knox News. “We’re cut off from the southern end of the county right now. We’re cut off from our southern legislators and can’t go back home. But it’s good to have them there.”
Lt. Patrick Bennett of the Irwin Police Department told Knox News he heard nothing but the howling of the wind while assisting with the evacuation. The rising water took my breath away.
“The water was so high there was nothing we could do,” he told Knox News.
The morning started quietly before the storm strengthened, and conditions worsened within a few hours.
“(It looked) like a normal day. And it looked like that when I got here this morning,” he said. Once it started, it just kept going up and up. ”
Bennett said rescue teams evacuated the most critical patients first.
Hours after the rescue, Unicoi County residents gathered near the hospital to witness an astonishing sight of rushing water and floating debris. Unicoi County Clerk Patti Treadway told Knox News that what now looks like a river was once a meadow where neighbors occasionally saw horses.
“I can’t believe it,” she said. “It’s something I’ve never seen before and I’ve lived here my whole life.”
Ambulances were unable to reach the hospital due to rapid flooding, so the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency worked with local agencies to dispatch a rescue boat. However, the boat could not safely leave the hospital because of the water that had seeped into and around the hospital, Ballard said. A helicopter was also unable to safely evacuate the hospital due to strong winds.
By 12:27 p.m., 54 people had evacuated to the roof, and seven were stranded on rescue boats.
“The hospital is engulfed by extremely dangerous and rapidly flowing water. Conditions at the hospital are extremely dangerous and TEMA and National Guard resources are engaged in what can only be described as a dangerous rescue operation,” Ballard said. he wrote. “Please pray for the people at Unicoi County Hospital, first responders on the scene, military leaders who are actively assisting, and state leaders.”
EMS services share Facetime video from the roof of Unicoi County Hospital
Emergency rescue service MedicOne Medical Response posted a FaceTime recording with a former employee who was stranded on the roof of the hospital. Video showed patients and staff on the roof of the hospital with water surrounding the building.
In another video, the first rescue helicopter arrived.
About Unicoi County Hospital
Unicoi County Hospital is located in Irwin, Tennessee, approximately 100 miles east of Knoxville and Pigeon Forge. Severe flooding occurred in the region Friday as Tropical Storm Helen, a deterioration from a hurricane, barreled through the Southeast, causing flooding and power outages in multiple states.
On Friday, downtown Newport, a Tennessee city about 90 miles to the west, was also evacuated after the “catastrophic failure” of Walters Dam near Waterville, North Carolina.
