Helicopters Rescued Patients in ‘Apocalyptic’ Flood. Other Hospitals Are at Risk, Too. - KFF Health News

Hurricane Helene prompted a deadly flash flood that tore through Unicoi County , Tennessee , trapping dozens of people on the rooftop of the county hospital.

The hospital was destroyed, but no one was even physically injured by the ordeal.

Earth scientists, emergency management officials, and others who spoke to KFF Health News describe the narrow escape as a cautionary tale.

The Biden administration finalized a rule this year designed to make such projects more resilient to flooding.

The Erwin , Tennessee , hospital was built in a 500-year flood plain in 2001 .

FEMA maps show the property is in a flood plain, while the only road on and off the property was in a 100-year area.

The hospital was deliberately constructed on a high point of the land, at the same elevation as the interstate, a former CEO says.

FEMA ’s maps likely underestimate the true flood risk, researchers and government watchdogs agree.

FEMA maps don’t account for current or future conditions, including more frequent and more intense storms and flooding associated with climate change.

It is unclear whether the incoming Trump administration will preserve flood protection standards set up under Obama .