All hospital staff and patients rescued from Unicoi County Hospital

UNICOI COUNTY, Tenn. (WCYB) — UPDATE: All hospital staff and patients have been rescued from Unicoi County Hospital.

As of 4:40 PM on Friday, no one will be in the facility.

Affected patients have been transferred to Johnson City Medical Center and their families have been notified.

The hospital will remain closed until further notice. Ballad Health will assess damage once the flood waters recede and provide updates at that time.

We will have updates as they become available.

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UPDATE: Twenty-three people were rescued from the roof of Unicoi County Hospital by Virginia State Police on Friday.

Dramatic images from the agency show devastating flooding in the area.

We will have updates as they become available.

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UPDATE: Erwin Police Chief Regan Tilson told News 5 that four patients were rescued by a Virginia State Police helicopter.

Stay tuned to News 5 on air and online for the latest updates.

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Patients and staff at Unicoi County Hospital were trapped on the roof Friday due to flooding caused by Tropical Storm Helene.

News 5 spoke with Erwin Police Chief Regan Tilson, who said more than 50 people are trapped on the roof.

Ballad Health said there were 54 people on the roof at 12:27 p.m. and seven more were in lifeboats.

All roads to the hospital are impassable due to flooding. Several cruisers and ambulances were lost.

A SWAT team happened to be training and was able to store medications for the patients. Tilson said all patients and staff are safe at this time.

Ballad said the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and National Guard are involved in the rescue operation.

We will have updates as they become available.