Severe storm causes flooding at Kearney’s Good Samaritan Hospital, USA

At least 3.89 inches of rain fell overnight at Kearney, the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network said. Flash flooding overwhelmed the city’s storm sewer system and broke through the two-story ground-to-ceiling windows of the dining room at Good Samaritan’s Central Cafe, the hospital said. Some of the windows were broken out.

While Good Samaritan’s storm water retention system and lift stations operated properly, the tremendous amount of water was too much. The hospital basement flooded, and there was water damage in other portions of the main building.

The kitchen, dining room, some patient hallways and other areas such as sterile processing were flooded. The hospital is ensuring that damaged areas are safe for patient care, said Marsha Wilkerson, a hospital spokeswoman. The hospital didn’t perform surgeries Saturday morning.

Elevators in the West Tower weren’t used because they were near the flooded area.

The hospital remains open, and each admission is being evaluated case-by-case, said Anna Fryda, internal communication coordinator of Good Samaritan, on Saturday afternoon.

While cleanup is underway, a plan is in place to get food to patients and staff. Foot traffic is being limited in portions of the building, and detours are marked where necessary.

In addition to water-remediation crews that are on site now, a national disaster recovery team from Catholic Health Initiatives, Good Samaritan’s parent company, is en route.