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Council recognizes local swift-water teams and hospital staff for Hurricane Helene rescue operations
Summary
The council showcased a condensed video and recognized local firefighters, swift-water rescuers and other responders who helped evacuate patients and staff from a flooded hospital during Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
Bristol City Council honored local rescue personnel and hospital staff on April 1 for their roles during the response to Hurricane Helene, presenting a condensed video of the September 27, 2024 evacuations and formal recognitions to members of the city and regional response teams.
John Luttrell, the city's community relations official, introduced the video and asked the public to view the full version on the city’s YouTube and Facebook channels. The presentation chronicled the rapid flooding at a regional hospital, the arrival of regional swift-water teams, the use of boats to move patients and ultimately helicopter evacuations.
One responder described conditions at the hospital as “the water's rising... in probably 15 minutes, it went from ankles to knees,” and said teams shifted from boat evacuations to sheltering on the roof before helicopter hoist operations began. A rescue team leader said crews used ladders from a fire truck and then coordinated with arriving helicopters to hoist patients and responders to safety.
Why it matters
The recognition relived a multi-agency rescue that the city said likely saved lives and involved personnel from Bristol and neighboring jurisdictions. City officials said the regional swift-water team and mutual-aid partners performed prolonged search, rescue and recovery work for days after the storm.
What council said
Mayor Hutton and other council members thanked the responders and city staff. Parks and recreation director Mike Maines and the city manager highlighted the video as a way to document the coordinated response and to publicly thank those who served. Council noted the incident required prolonged multi-jurisdictional operations and gave the city an opportunity to review emergency documentation for federal assistance.
Ending
Council presented recognitions to responding personnel and encouraged residents to view the longer video posted by the city for fuller context and additional remarks by regional partners.
