Mercyhealth Hospital Floods, Vehicle Rescues Reported In Rockford

ROCKFORD, IL — A flash flood emergency in Rockford was caught on video as water poured into a local hospital. Rockford Scanner and CBS News reported evacuations were underway Monday night at Mercyhealth Hospital due to flooding inside the building (see video).

But a hospital spokesman told the Rockford Register-Star that no areas occupied by patients were flooded.

“Maintaining the safety of patients and partners is a top priority,” spokesman Sean Muserallo told the outlet. “Patients were not in any danger, and the hospital is not evacuating.”

A video shared by Rockford Scanner showed flooded hallways at the hospital. A woman who said she was an employee wrote that the basement and first floor of the hospital had flooded and the hospital was on emergency power Monday night.

The National Weather Service in Chicago reported that Doppler radar indicated heavy rain across Winnebago and Boone counties, and flash flooding as heavy rainfall continued in the area.

More than 4.5 inches of rain reportedly fell in less than 90 minutes Monday night. Rockford Scanner reported an alert to move to higher ground late Monday as the flooding emergency became dangerous.

Rockford Register-Star also reported that several motorists were rescued from vehicles amid the flooding, including a 70-year-old man whose car, carried by a strong current, slammed into a guardrail, trapping him in the vehicle. Two bystanders rushed to the man's aid after his car became trapped against the guardrail in a Schnucks store parking lot.

Image via Patch