VU hospital evacuation finished without incident
The evacuation of the VU Medical Center in Amsterdam went down without incident. Around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday the hospital announced that all patients have been transferred to other hospitals.
In total more than 300 patients were transferred to other hospitals.
The reason for the evacuation was a burst in the water main that caused flooding in the area. The hospital was still able to function, but as it was unclear how long the problems caused by the flooding would last, the decision was made to evacuate.
The biggest concern for the hospital was water supply, according to director Wouter Bos in a press conference on Tuesday. They could not guarantee that the hospital would have fresh and clean water in the coming days. Bos reiterated that all patients were safe at all times.
The evacuation was accelerated by the efforts of firefighters and marines, AD reports. According to Bos, they made "a big difference".
The director expects that the hospital will be closed for several days. "It may take longer than we'd like."
Massiver #Evakuierung aus VUMC #hospital. #Hochwasser zerstört die kritischen Anlagen. pic.twitter.com/RW9B5cQNVS
— Gerard Hoffmann (@vuurlast) September 8, 2015
