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By Jayden Branam
Friday, September 27th, Hurricane Helene's floodwaters rose dramatically, submerging Unicoi County Hospital almost entirely underwater. Initially, workers attempted to escort patients out of the hospital by ambulance but were met by washed-out roads. They were completely stranded. With water levels rising by the minute, the hospital's inhabitants moved to the roof. Rescue boats hurried to the scene. However, the dangerous water prevented these boats from leaving.
Unicoi County Sheriff, Mike Hensley, stated, “It was chaotic. We couldn't get to them in boats; we had high winds and water rushing around the hospital. I thank God the hospital held. I was waiting for it to collapse.”
As the hopelessness of the situation began to set in, national guard, state, and local police helicopters came to the rescue. Over 50 lives were saved. Though no lives were lost in this incident, at least six people have lost their lives in Tennessee alone due to the storm.
In response to the damage imposed by Helene, Governor Bill Lee has expedited the Major Disaster Declaration for 8 different counties, including Unicoi. The majority of these counties have established donation centers. Additionally, the Crisis Clean-Up hotline (844) 965-1386 has been created to aid civilians with their clean-up efforts. This service is completely free.
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