50 people rescued by helicopter off Tennessee hospital roof during Helene flooding

As floodwaters from Hurricane Helene quickly surrounded the small east Tennessee hospital near a riverbank, workers first tried to get patients out by ambulance. Then, the road washed out.

They tried to move people to the center of the building, but they were met by water.

Once rescue boats arrived, the water was so dangerous they couldn’t leave. Ultimately, dozens of staff and patients went to the roof to wait to be taken to safety, and a few others stayed in rescue boats, as winds whipped and brown waters gushed nearby with debris beneath them.

Within a few hours, they were all rescued.

The dramatic scene at Unicoi County Hospital, in Erwin, Tennessee, near the North Carolina border, was one of several that played out across the southern U.S. in Helene’s wake. Flooding caused by its storm surge and rain sent thousands of police officers, firefighters, National Guard members and others on rescue missions. Hundreds were saved, but at least 40 died.

Unicoi County Hospital tried to evacuate 11 patients and 43 others Friday morning after the Nolichucky River overflowed its banks and flooded the facility, but the water was too treacherous for boats sent by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

The decision was made to direct more than 50 people to the roof. Another seven had been temporarily stuck in rescue boats. Ballad Health, which operates the small 10-bed hospital, asked for people’s prayers as it provided the social media update.

After other helicopters failed to reach the hospital because of the storm’s winds, a Virginia State Police helicopter was able to land on the roof. Three National Guard helicopters with hoist capabilities were sent, officials said.

In a later post, Ballad Health said all of the staff and patients had been rescued about four hours after dozens of them were moved to the hospital’s roof. Patients were transferred to a different facility and no one remained at the hospital.