Watch now: Ballad CEO recounts Unicoi hospital destruction

When Hurricane Helene hit East Tennessee on Sept. 27, the Unicoi County Hospital was flooded, leaving 69 hospital staff, patients and first responders stranded on the roof.Ballad Health CEO Alan Levine said the hospital received notification to evacuate at 9:38 a.m. that Friday."And somewhere around 10:00, it became apparent that they were having difficulty because the water was starting to come in really fast," Levine told Six Rivers Media.Levine FaceTimed a physician onsite and saw water in the hospital. They determined it was too dangerous to carry the patients outside across the water. Around 10:15 a.m., Levine called the Tennessee Governor's Office, which put him in touch with the director of Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.First, TEMA sent swift water boats, but the water was rising so fast it would not be safe for them to conduct rescues. Then motorboats were called in.The boats made it to the hospital, but there was so many trees and pieces of houses floating in the water, it was determined it was too dangerous for them to leave."I've been through 12 major hurricanes, I've seen a lot, and I've not seen such concentrated devastation like I see here."— Alan Levine, CEO of Ballad HealthThe staff members, patients and first responders evacuated to the roof of the hospital. Those who were physically unable to make it to the roof were put in the boats and tethered to the hospital with a clinical staff member."It was a really dangerous situation for everybody," Levine said. "And the problem was they couldn't get helicopters."During this time, Levine and the Ballad Health Emergency Command Center were in touch with the National Guard and Virginia State Police, which were on standby, ready to send helicopters when the wind died down."Once I knew the helicopters started to remove patients off the roof, I drove down to Erwin myself to greet them when they got back to the school," Levine said. "I remember the first nurse getting off the helicopter. He gave me a big 'ol hug and then he said, 'Where's my patients?' He wanted to go check on his patients."Levine said he was "inspired" by the heroic efforts of his staff and emergency responders."I'm just grateful that everybody got out safe," Levine said. "I mean the end story is a very positive one, that everybody is safe."Experience pays offLevine credits his experience working as a secretary of health in Florida and Louisiana as contributing to the way he and his staff at different hospitals responded to Hurricane Helene.When he came to Ballad Health, he established a command center and different facets of it, such as communication, utilities and transportation."We have teams of people working on things all the way through," he said. "The entire time our emergency command center is activated."After dealing with Hurricane Katrina as secretary of health in Florida, Levine said people in hospitals in Louisiana died from flood waters because they did not evacuate."When I was watching this happen on Friday, it was something that I think our whole team was determined not to happen," Levine said.That was one reason why they evacuated the Sycamore Shoals Hospital in Elizabethton. Levine said since there was a chance it could flood, they did not risk it."One of the things that I've sort of asked everybody to do is deal with what's in front of you, but also you need to begin anticipating what's going to happen next," Levine said. "So, we're constantly leaning in looking for problems to solve, rather than waiting for those problems to confront us. And that's sort of the model for disaster management."Despite his experience, Levine never has seen a disaster at this level."I've been through 12 major hurricanes; I've seen a lot," Levine said. "And I've not seen such concentrated devastation like I see here."Mental healthStaff members dealing with the trauma of the rescue and aftermath of the hurricane are encouraged to speak to counselors from Ballad's Employee Assistance Program.One Ballad Health Employee from Greenville Community Hospital, 32-year-old Boone McCrary, died with his dog after his boat capsized when he tried to rescue someone on Friday."It is devastating for the team in Greenville," Levine said. "Boone had a huge personality and was well liked by the entire team at the hospital. So I think everybody's probably just dealing with that trauma right now."Levine visited the Greenville hospital Thursday morning, and was told by a nurse manager in the emergency department that the counselors were so effective that they were coming back.Ballad is offering the counseling services to Tennessee Department of Transportation, as first responders clearing the highways have found bodies while clearing debris.What's nextWhile Ballad determines what to do with the Unicoi hospital, they are focusing on serving the community at present."We set up an emergency response unit; it's an air-conditioned tent that has urgent care capabilities and they're seeing patients every day," Levine said.They are in talks with the state about obtaining a license to open a free standing emergency room at one of their Erwin offices.Despite nurse shortages in the region, and the fact that many Ballad nurses have suffered their own losses from the hurricane, Levine said they are determined to provide care for their patients."We went into this not fully staffed, but all of our staff, this is what they train for; when people need you, they're there," he said. "We have team members working right now who've lost their homes, lost their pets, lost a lot of their property, what they own. But everyone of our team members that I've met, they have a really strong sense of resolve that they're here to help their communities."