Firefighters Evacuate MA Hospital after Massive Flooding

Severe weather Sunday caused massive flooding at Norwood Hospital, shutting down the medical center’s emergency room and forcing dozens of patients to evacuate.

Firefighters responded around 4:46 p.m. to a call about extensive flooding in the hospital’s basements, requiring the medical center’s utilities to be shut down, according to a Facebook post from the Norwood Fire Department.

“Shortly thereafter, water also began leaking from the roof and upper floors,” the statement said. “Due to the patient rooms and safety being compromised, the decision was made to evacuate patients from the hospital.”

Around 20 patients were evacuated after power was lost around 6:30 p.m., Norwood’s general manager, Tony Mazzucco, told The Boston Globe. Another 60 to 70 patients were evacuated around 10 p.m.

Some patients remained in the Draper Building, a part of the hospital that did not lose electricity, according to the Globe’s report.

One person who tested positive for the coronavirus was being treated at the Norwood facility, Massachusetts Department of Public Health data shows.

Nobody at the hospital was injured during the severe storm, the newspaper reported

While the emergency room at Norwood Hospital remains closed, people seeking medical attention can go to Beth Israel Deaconess in Needham or Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro.

Greater Boston was hit hard with flash flooding, damaging winds and large hail Sunday, the National Weather Service tweeted.

Flooding was reported throughout the town of Norwood on Sunday. At least 75 calls were made to the Norwood Fire Department about building fires, lightning strikes, flooded basements and other emergencies, according to authorities.

Norwood firefighters responded to a garage fire on Pleasant Street around 3:15 p.m. after lightning struck the building, officials said.

“On arrival, companies found a well-involved detached garage,” the Norwood Fire Department wrote in a Facebook post. “Engine 3 deployed an attack line and quickly knocked the fire down.

“Ladder 1 overhauled and provided ventilation, while Engine 1 laid 300 feet of supply line for Engine 3 from a near by hydrant. Crews operated for just under an hour before returning to service.”

WCVB reported that Norwood Hospital’s parking lot was flooded, and as many as five cars were submerged under water. A water main break near the medical center flooded several Norwood restaurants as well.

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