Flooding Strands More than 50 Atop a Tennessee Hospital

UPDATE: All 54 staff members have been rescued from atop Unicoi County Hospital.

Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida's Big Bend region Thursday night as a Category 4 monster. At last report, the storm had claimed at least 30 lives across four states.

As it has moved inward, Helene's strength has diminished, but the rainfall has not and continues to plague states well north and west of any coastline. Eastern Tennessee is currently dealing with the shocking news that part of Interstate 40 at the Tennessee/North Carolina state line has been washed out by a mudslide.

While that is certainly a massive inconvenience--and that's still quite and understatement--it pales in comparison to what employees of a hospital in Unicoi County TN are dealing with. More than 50 staffers had been stranded on the roof of that hospital because of raging floodwaters.

This morning, Ballad Health, the parent company of Unicoi County Hospital, received an urgent request from Unicoi County Emergency Management to evacuate the hospital as quickly as possible. Eleven patients were moved, but the flooding happened so quickly, staff members were forced onto the roof, leading to an ongoing dangerous rescue operation.

Helene continues pushing to the northwest, and folks here in Kentucky are feeling the effects in the form of more rain than we've seen in nearly two months. This has led to advisories from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet regarding flooded roads.

Also, the now-tropical depression has created the need for a wind advisory from the National Weather Service. Sustained winds of 20-30 MPH are expected along with gusts of up to 50 MPH.

Gusts of up to 55 MPH haven't been ruled out, either. High wind WARNINGS have been issued for parts of central Indiana and central Illinois.