NORWOOD, Mass. — Officials from Norwood spent Monday evacuating patients after temporarily closing the hospital due to severe flooding.
At least 100 patients had to be transported to a different hospital.
Officials with Norwood hospital say the process has gone smoothly with no issues reported.
The president of Norwood Hospital Sal Perla says the facility has been following the state protocol and moved the sickest patients first.
The decision came after intense rain turned an employee parking lot into a small pond.
“This is definitely a significant event for us,” said Perla.
Employees like Manoach Sigu came out to find his car dead, and in a different spot than he left it.
“I saw it start to float, I think my car was the last one to float, then I saw the alarm going off,” said Sigu.
Inside the hospital, the focus has been making sure all the patents are safely out.
“We followed the process that’s generated from the state and the sickest patients went out first…they were actually out in like an hour,” said Perla.
Video from inside the hospital shows the force of the rushing water.
“The door just broke, waves of water coming through,” said Sigu.
>> Patients evacuated after significant flooding overwhelms Norwood Hospital
For rescue crews, the priority was not only moving patients but rescuing employees including a call for two people trapped in the basement.
“We sent a crew down there they were able to get through the water and make sure that any individuals that were still there were able to exit safely and then we made sure no one else was in there,” said Norwood Fire Chief George Morrice.
City officials estimate at least four inches of rain came down in less than an hour and a half.
“We haven’t seen rainfall this heavy in at least 25 years if not a little longer,” said Tony Mazzucco, General Manager, Town of Norwood.
Hospital officials say if people are in distress, they should still call 911.
The focus on Monday was safely moving out all patients after that hospital officials will move to assess the damage and work towards the next steps of getting the hospital up and running.
And if you have a patient in Norwood that has been moved and you need to find them, call 781-7659-4000
Individuals in need of emergency medical attention, who do not need an ambulance, can go to nearby:
- Sturdy Memorial Hospital - located at 211 Park Street, Attleboro
- Beth Israel Deaconess Needham - located at 148 Chestnut Street, Needham
- Norwood Urgent Care (Open to walk-ins) - located at 120 Boston Providence Highway, Norwood
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