Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn evacuated due to damage from Friday's storm
NEW YORK -- Brooklyn's Woodhull Hospital was evacuated and temporarily closed down on Saturday.
The facility suffered serious electrical damage during Friday's storm.
More than 150 patients, including 17 in the Intensive Care Unit, were transferred out of the hospital, accompanied by nurses, due to power outages.
#HospitalAlert: @NYCHealthSystem Woodhull Hospital and emergency room in #Brooklyn are not accepting patients until further notice. If you need emergency care, please call 911. https://t.co/IcX4WRwGnr pic.twitter.com/Il8FyNRClL
— NYC Health + Hospitals (@NYCHealthSystem) September 30, 2023
CBS New York cameras captured patients at Woodhull being put into medical evacuation transportation units, one day after heavy rain caused serious flooding across the five boroughs, including in Brooklyn.
"There was an energy outage and the hospital was running on emergency backups, and as soon as those started to run out the hospital had to close down and evacuate the patients who were in the hospital to go to sister hospitals," City Councilman Chi Osse said.
Osse, who represents the part Brooklyn where the hospital is located, said as Con Edison works to get the power back on, hospital staff is doing all it can to make sure patients are transferred safely to Health + Hospitals facilities.
"They are on the ball in terms of making sure their most at-risk patients are taken care of. Obviously, those who require the most amount of resources, both within the care of Woodhull or where they are being ransferred, are being taken care of very sensitively," Osse said.
Osse said the hospital and its electrical system are outdated and need major improvements.
"Yesterday's storm really shined a light on our crumbling infrastructure, not just my district, but Brooklyn. Woodhull Hospital is a hospital in deep need of investment," he said.
At a news conference on Saturday afternoon, Mayor Eric Adams said the evacuation was part of an inter-agency response that included the NYPD and FDNY.
"We want to make sure that the patients hear from their doctors first. That was so important to us that the doctors can interact with the patients and let them know exactly what we were doing," Adams said. "In order to fix the underlying damage, we need to fully shut off the hospital power."
It's unclear when power will be restored and when patients will be allowed back in the hospital. If you have a family member who is a patient at Woodhull, call 718-963-8644 for information.