Dozens of people are trapped on the roof of a flooded Tennessee hospital during the Helene rains

ERWIN, Tenn. – Catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Helene prompted an urgent rescue mission in the eastern Tennessee town of Erwin, where helicopters removed dozens of staff and patients stranded on the roof of a flooded hospital.

Water from the swollen Nolichucky River began rising rapidly early Friday morning at Unicoi County Hospital, according to a statement from Ballad Health.

Hospital officials called ambulances to evacuate 11 patients, but the flooding quickly worsened, preventing ambulances from safely reaching the hospital.

The town of Erwin, Tennessee is under floodwaters after days of torrential rain.

(Rep. Diana Harshbarger/FOX Weather)

Emergency responders then sent rescue boats to evacuate the hospital as water began pouring into the facility, but the water around the hospital became “extremely dangerous and impassable, preventing the boats from safely evacuating the hospital,” Ballad officials said Health.

Strong winds from Helene also made it too dangerous to attempt helicopter rescues, officials said.

By midday, 54 people had made it to the roof of the building and seven were able to stay in lifeboats.

“The hospital was inundated by extremely dangerous and fast-moving water,” officials said. “The situation at the hospital is very dangerous and (Tennessee emergency managers) and National Guard resources are engaged in a rescue operation that can only be described as dangerous.”

According to a post from Tennessee Rep. Diana Harshbarger, helicopters were finally able to begin aerial evacuation shortly after 2 p.m.

Ballad Health officials said all staff and patients were safely evacuated and taken to Johnson City Medical Center by 4:40 p.m.

Unicoi Hospital will remain closed until damage can be assessed after floodwaters recede.

According to the National Weather Service, 5 to 7 inches of rain fell in the lowlands of East Tennessee, but in the nearby Appalachians total rainfall reached 15 to 25 inches.