Sallisaw, Okla.-based Northeastern Health Systems Sequoyah evacuated patients after a storm ripped off part of the hospital’s roof, the Sequoyah County Times reported Sept. 23.
A sudden storm hit the community around 5 p.m. Sept. 23, causing extensive damage to the hospital and widespread power outages. The storm may have been straight-line winds or a microburst rather than a tornado, according to the report.
“We had 12 current patients on our floor at the time that the roof got blown off, so we put together a team to evacuate [those] who needed evacuated, who need to be discharged home,” Eric Carter, director of operations at NHS Sequoyah, told the Times. “We were able to discharge 10 of the 12, and two went to local hospitals.”
No injuries were reported. Hope, Ark.-based Pafford EMS is providing a mobile emergency room unit to provide care to the community. Crews are working to fix the hospital and bring it back into operation.
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