1000 Year Storm Hits Norwood, Massive Flooding, Hospital Evacuated-This Day In Norwood History-June 28, 2020

Norwood Hospital Temporarily Closed After Flash Flood Evacuations

Around 4 pm on June 28, 2020, a series of powerful storms struck New England, bringing floods, lightning, hail, torrential rain, and strong winds. The storms caused widespread damage across the region, but Norwood was hit especially hard.

The thunderstorms developed that afternoon due to “back building,” and lingered over the area, causing continuous heavy rainfall. Back building occurs when thunderstorms regenerate on their backside, resulting in prolonged downpours. In Norwood, three to four inches of rain fell within nearly 90 minutes.

Holy flash flooding earlier! Norwood, MA 📹:Daddy’s Dairy @NWSBoston @WX1BOX pic.twitter.com/mAUmmovkUg

— eweather (@Eweather13) June 28, 2020

A FEMA flood map from 2012 indicates a minimal flood hazard around Norwood Hospital. However, this does not equate to a 0% risk. Water naturally travels from high to low points, pooling in the lowest areas. The hospital’s parking lot and surrounding area are at a low point, with Cottage Street having a significant slope, contributing to the rapid flooding.

The Neponset River, which responds quickly to heavy rain, almost reached moderate flood levels, climbing four feet in minutes. This rapid rise could have led to a more severe situation if not for the dry spring conditions.

Flooding caused a car to get stuck under a railroad overpass on Nahatan Street and forced several restaurants to close due to heavy flooding on Central Street. Approximately four inches of rain fell within 90 minutes, overwhelming storm drains and stalling cars.

The Norwood Fire Department received at least 75 calls about building fires, lightning strikes, flooded basements, and other emergencies.

Norwood firefighters responded to a garage fire on Pleasant Street around 3:15 p.m. after lightning struck the building. “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 nearby hydrant. Crews operated for just under an hour before returning to service.”

@boston25 Norwood High School pic.twitter.com/OXiRLVxosi

— Alena McKee (@AlenaMcKee) June 28, 2020

Drivers had to navigate floodwaters on Route 1 in Norwood, Massachusetts, as powerful storms hit the state. https://t.co/DvKxaCrC2N pic.twitter.com/Pc5GQlv5lz

— ABC News (@ABC) June 29, 2020

Flash floods rolled downhill from the high ground around Nichols Street toward downtown, creating waves in the streets.

Some parts of Norwood Hospital, located at the bottom of that hill, had a history of flooding during large sudden rain events,

The 2020 storm happened at the worst possible time. The world had shut down only a few months before due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Norwood was among the earliest towns in the state to suffer an outbreak when 11 town officials, including Town Manager Tony Mazucco and School Superintendent David Thomson, tested positive during the first week in March.

Norwood Hospital took steps to prevent the spread of the virus. Steward Medical Group, the parent company of Norwood Hospital, started offering telehealth video appointments so patients could continue to receive the medical care they needed without going to the doctor’s office. A medical tent was erected outside of the Norwood Hospital emergency room to test for the coronavirus. Hospital visitors were restricted.

These measures were helpful, but still couldn’t stop the virus from spreading throughout the town. In April, 15 residents of the Charwell nursing home died from Covid or related complications over a 12-day period, and over a dozen more were infected with the virus.

By the time of the storm in June, Norwood’s weekly covid numbers were dropping, but the town still had 580 total confirmed cases and the Hospital had a vital role in fighting the pandemic and reducing those numbers.

The deluge of water that completely inundated the hospital on June 28 created an emergency that hospital staff had never imagined.

The flooding started outside the loading dock of the Larusso building, just off East Hoyle Street. The loading dock area was built 15 feet below street level, where the old Civic ballfield was 50 years before. It was built this way so trucks could back down the hill to deliver food and medical supplies to the kitchen and store room. Th

Check out this incredible video of flooding at Norwood Hospital! 👀 You can see water rushing through one of the parking lots and vehicles floating in the water. People inside the hospital say the generator is flooded and some of the rooms are flooding. https://t.co/ZPCMzGQ9xC pic.twitter.com/l29VMgAMNK

— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) June 28, 2020

But on that afternoon, a torrent of water traveled down the sloped asphalt, quickly overwhelming the drain at the bottom in a matter of minutes. Before long, the water reached the height of the loading dock, and continued to climb. When the water reached about 10 feet off the ground, the pressure finally became too great, sending thousands of gallons of water through the loading dock doors.

“It was something like a movie. It was like we were running away from water,” Norwood Hospital employee Michael Ware said. “It burst open all the doors in the basement, so all the water just came in at once.”

A hallway security video of this moment went viral on social media.

Firefighters were first called at 4:46 p.m. about extensive flooding in the hospital’s basement. As the situation at the hospital worsened, Norwood Fire Dispatch received another call updating them on the increasing basement flooding. Firefighters had to navigate several flooded streets and arrived on scene at 4:50 p.m. They were met with rising water and rapidly deteriorating conditions, with several people trapped due to the flooding. Firefighters from Ladder 1 quickly forced doors open to rescue trapped hospital employees.

After ensuring all other employees had gotten out safely the firefighters turned off the hospital’s utilities (gas and electric) to prevent further hazards. Meanwhile, a large amount of water began accumulating on the upper floors of the Larusso building. Lieutenant Chris Campilio, the officer in charge, requested additional resources and a Chief Officer to the scene immediately.

Deputy Chief John Cody arrived and assumed command from Lt. Campilio. Given the dangerous conditions, Deputy Chief Cody determined the need to evacuate the building. At 5:43 p.m., Norfolk County control was contacted to request a fire-ground channel and additional resources. An ambulance task force was requested due to the large number of patients needing relocation. Fire departments from Canton, Sharon, Westwood, Foxboro, Stoughton, Needham, Randolph, Walpole, Norfolk, Millis, and Mansfield, as well as Brewster, Fallon, and South Shore hospital ambulance services, responded.

Due to the power outage, all patients had to be evacuated through the stairwells, including several critically ill patients requiring extensive equipment. These patients and their lifesaving equipment were transported by firefighters and police officers to awaiting ambulances and then taken to area hospitals including Good Samaritan, Saint Elizabeth, Carney, St Ann’s, Morton, Faulkner, and others. Over 125 patients were safely evacuated without any injuries reported to patients, staff, or first responders.

A 2nd Alarm was struck to rotate fresh personnel into the hospital, bringing additional resources from Canton, Sharon, Westwood, Walpole, Norfolk, Stoughton, Foxboro, and Dedham to assist with evacuations. Later, two additional ambulance task forces were requested, bringing units from Hanson, Abington, Whitman, Brockton, East Bridgewater, Norwell, Cohasset, Hanover, Rockland, Hingham, Duxbury, and Kingston, along with Fallon Ambulance Service. A Metro regional police task force was also organized for additional manpower.

Boston Sparks Rehab and Support Services responded with their A10 and A11 units, along with Providence Canteen, to provide support and rehabilitation to the crews on scene. Mansfield Fire responded with their field communication unit, and the Norfolk County Technical Rescue team, along with the Somerville Auxiliary Fire Department, provided lighting and generators. The incident was cleared at 6:00 p.m. the following day.

Despite the large-scale incident, each community, including Norwood, managed their own emergencies. Chief Morrice expressed sincere gratitude to all the towns for their response and assistance.

No injuries were reported from the flooding.

“The flooding was significant, and it just came from multiple areas. But we were able to get through all of this with zero injuries,” said Dr. Sal Perla.

The National Weather Service in Boston issued a rare flash flood emergency for Norwood and surrounding towns, warning of life-threatening conditions. This was only the third flash flood emergency issued in Massachusetts, with previous instances in 2014 during Arthur and in 2011 during Hurricane Irene.

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