The aftermath of Hurricane Helene is still unfolding. Unbelievable images of destruction in areas that would seem to be immune to the destruction of such powerful storms, like mountain communities such as Asheville, North Carolina, in the Appalachian Mountains, are overwhelming.
News of destruction and rising death tolls will continue during coming days and weeks as many communities were wiped off the map entirely or forever changed. As stories of heroism and tragedy will continue to emerge, here is some of the initial news.
All of this comes the week after the NFL and the Federal Emergency Management Agency teamed up to make stadiums available for disaster recovery needs.
At Tampa General Hospital, the area’s lone Level 1 Trauma Center, which was saved from potential tragedy and remained operational as a flood-protection system prevented the storm surge from flooding its main campus on Davis Islands in Tampa Bay.
As #HurricaneHelene continues, the AquaFence at TGH stands firm. The water-impermeable barrier is designed to withstand storm surge up to 15 feet. It has worked through multiple rain events to prevent storm waters from impacting hospital operations. #WeAreTGH #StormWatch pic.twitter.com/papsd6oPg2
— Tampa General Hospital (@TGHCares) September 27, 2024
The hospital’s water-impermeable barrier prevented a storm surge reaching up to 15 feet above sea level from reaching the hospital and disrupting operations, according to a press release.
Though Tampa General’s power remained on throughout the storm, the hospital is prepared for any outages due to its central energy plant located 33 feet above sea level to offer a protected power supply in the event of any disruptions. The energy plant is built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane and houses generators and boilers that create steam and hot water.
Meanwhile, in North Carolina, schools and community centers are serving as resource hubs. Breweries for the time being have morphed into temporary sites where residents desperate for water can find desperately seeking basic needs in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
In a sampling of other facilities-related news emerging from Helene:
About 100 people across six states were killed as of Monday morning from Helene. But most of the attention and disaster has centered on Western Carolina and the city of Asheville, which has been devastated and reportedly cut off from much of the surrounding area due to heavy flooding that has wiped out transportation and communication, slowing down rescue efforts.
Blue Ridge Public Radio has a regularly updated link about the developments unfolding in Western Carolina. Most of the Asheville area is still without cell service and municipal governments – both county and town governments – are setting up resource hubs and providing free meals for residents. Some municipalities are looking at not having power until Friday.
At Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin, Tennessee, floodwaters surrounded the property near a riverbank, delaying the evacuation of patients by rescue boats. Patients and staff were eventually rescued from the roof and taken to safety.
The hospital tried to evacuate 11 patients and other people Friday morning, but the riverbanks broke, and the water was deemed too treacherous for boat rescue by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
After four hours, 50 people were rescued from the roof by a variety of agencies, including via state police helicopter and National Guard helicopters.
Dave Lubach is executive editor for the facilities market.
