Hospital flooded by Hurricane Helene to be rebuilt in another flood plain

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A tiny Tennessee infirmary that was destroyed by a surging river during Hurricane Helene volition soon beryllium rebuilt connected low-lying farmland that could look respective feet of flooding successful a overmuch smaller storm, risking different catastrophe if the caller installation is not built to withstand utmost weather, according to a KFF Health News analysis.

Ballad Health announced successful January that it would walk astir $44 cardinal to rebuild the 10-bed Unicoi County Hospital successful a tract down a Walmart successful Unicoi, Tennessee, astir 7 miles from the shuttered infirmary that was the tract of catastrophic flooding and a daring chopper rescue connected Sept. 27, 2024.

But the caller determination besides faces important flood risk, according to a KFF Health News reappraisal of accusation from Fathom and First Street, 2 clime information companies whose flood modeling is considered much blase than outdated flood maps published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Both Fathom and First Street estimation that a 100-year flood — a upwind lawsuit much communal and little aggravated than Helene — could screen overmuch of the infirmary tract with much than 2 feet of water.

"The projected tract is truthful evidently a flood plain geomorphologically," said Oliver Wing, main technological serviceman astatine Fathom. "You don't request a exemplary to spot that."

Wing said the caller infirmary tract was really much apt to flood than the aged tract and "very risky" for improvement owed to a adjacent creek and imaginable tempest runoff from mountains to the west. But the flooding would beryllium little almighty than astatine the aged site, Wing said, and its interaction could beryllium lessened by elevating the infirmary oregon gathering earthen embankments.

Ballad Health confirmed the caller infirmary determination but did not respond to questions astir flood hazard oregon defenses planned for the site. In a little written statement, spokesperson Molly Luton said Ballad was moving with geotechnical professionals, Zurich Insurance Group, and a high-profile architecture steadfast successful Nashville, Earl Swensson Associates, to "plan and physique a harmless infirmary for the Unicoi County community." Luton said Ballad is besides moving with FEMA, which is providing astir $7.4 cardinal for the rebuild.

FEMA has served arsenic the nation's de facto authorization for estimating flood hazard for fractional a period and its flood maps mostly find which buildings indispensable beryllium designed to withstand a flood. But those maps are often incomplete and bash not relationship for the impacts of clime change. FEMA's flood maps of Unicoi, past updated successful 2008, bash not place the caller infirmary tract arsenic a flood hazard zone.

Nationwide, FEMA maps don't seizure overmuch of the flood hazard identified by Fathom and First Street, which usage blase machine models and elaborate terrain information to make flood simulations that are relied connected by large developers, security companies, and authorities agencies. First Street publishes overmuch of its modeling online, portion Fathom shared information with KFF Health News done a data-use agreement.

Chad Berginnis, enforcement manager of the Association of State Floodplain Managers, said that portion the hilly terrain of northeastern Tennessee whitethorn bounds Ballad's options to rebuild, it should not disregard the information from Fathom and First Street oregon trust purely connected FEMA's maps, which suggest the infirmary could beryllium built with minimal flood protections.

If Ballad builds down the Walmart, Berginnis said, it should travel the latest standards from the American Society of Civil Engineers, which urge elevating hospitals capable to withstand a 1,000-year flood — similar the 1 caused by Helene.

According to those standards and Google Earth elevation data, that could necessitate earthwork to rise the crushed of the Unicoi tract by astatine slightest 8 feet and arsenic overmuch arsenic 18 feet earlier construction.

"It's going to necessitate immoderate elevation, and determination is going to beryllium immoderate cost," Berginnis said. "But, my God, you conscionable mislaid your dang hospital."

The demolition of Unicoi County Hospital successful 2024 prompted a KFF Health News investigation into infirmary flood risk, which utilized Fathom information to place more than 170 hospitals crossed the federation that look the top hazard of important oregon unsafe flooding. Of those hospitals, astatine slightest 39 faced circumstances akin to Unicoi's: Nearby rivers oregon creeks were predicted to swell beyond their banks and engulf the facility.

Ballad Health, which owns Unicoi and 19 different hospitals successful Tennessee and Virginia, is the nation's largest state-sanctioned infirmary monopoly and the lone enactment for infirmary attraction for astir residents successful a 29-county portion of Appalachia.

In a quality merchandise announcing the Unicoi reconstruction, Ballad said it was finalizing a onshore acquisition for the caller infirmary tract and expected operation to statesman successful the outpouring and past 2 years. Ballad Health Chief Operating Officer Eric Deaton said the reconstruction announcement was "a long-awaited measurement toward healing."

"Rebuilding Unicoi County Hospital is astir much than bricks and mortar," Deaton said successful the release. "It's astir keeping attraction adjacent to location for radical who person been done truthful much."

Tennessee authorities Rep. Renea Jones, a Republican whose territory includes some the aged and caller Unicoi infirmary sites, praised the reconstruction program successful Ballad's quality release. The merchandise did not notation that Ballad would bargain astir 15 acres of onshore for the caller infirmary from Jones' family, which was archetypal reported by local tv presumption WJHL and aboriginal confirmed by Tennessee nationalist records.

Jones did not hold to beryllium interviewed astir the merchantability of the spot oregon its flood risk.

The destroyed Unicoi County Hospital, which outgo $30 million, was built on a crook of the Nolichucky River adjacent though FEMA had labeled that country a flood portion for decades. Mountain States Health Alliance began operation successful 2017, past aboriginal became Ballad Health, which opened the infirmary successful 2018.

Alan Levine, who was the CEO of Mountain States and present leads Ballad, told KFF Health News successful a 2024 interrogation that Mountain States was alert of the flood hazard erstwhile Unicoi was built but believed levees could support the facility.

"I consciousness similar everything we did erstwhile we built it was done the close way," Levine said.

Helene proved excessively overmuch to handle. As the hurricane carved a deadly way crossed Southern states and into Appalachia, dense rainfall caused the Nolichucky to overspill its banks and engulf the infirmary successful arsenic overmuch arsenic 12 feet of water.

Floodwater pushed wrong the infirmary and chopped the power, forcing patients and unit to evacuate to the extortion successful hopes of rescue. Ultimately, helicopters plucked 70 radical from the extortion and the rushing water, narrowly avoiding fatalities.

Angel Mitchell, a Unicoi subsister who was airlifted to information with her ailing mother, said she was appalled that the infirmary would beryllium rebuilt successful an country that was susceptible to different flood.

But the worst part, Mitchell said, was that locals would person small prime but to tolerate the hazard due to the fact that of Ballad's monopoly.

"It's ridiculous," Mitchell said. "We privation to spell determination to heal, not determination to worry."

KFF Health News information exertion Holly K. Hacker and South Carolina analogous Lauren Sausser contributed to this report.

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