Storm Causes Isolated Damage At Claremore's Hillcrest Hospital

Operations at Claremore's Hillcrest Hospital are back to normal after storms caused some damage to the building Thursday evening.

The hospital say only a handful of patients were moved Thursday from the hospital to Hillcrest Hospital South in Tulsa. 

Officials say there was one power outage, but power came back on quickly.   The hospital said out of caution, all patients in the ER and some with highly complex medical needs were taken to other hospitals.  

They said strong winds from the storms caused the damage.  Hospital CEO David Chaussard issued the following statement Thursday night:

"The storm that came through Claremore included strong winds that resulted in isolated damage at Hillcrest Hospital Claremore. The safety of our patients is our top priority. The team has placed the Emergency Room on divert, and as needed, patients have been transported to Hillcrest Hospital South in Tulsa. Our team remains vigilant in providing exceptional care to our patients. We will continue to monitor and assess the situation."

According to the News On 6 WARN Team, radar suggested a localized microburst popped up in Claremore; it’s estimated about two-and-a-half inches of rain fell in about an hour.

Meteorologist Stephen Nehrenz, said microbursts are normally very localized, which makes it hard for radars to detect until they occur, making it difficult for a warning to be issued a head of time.

Nehrenz said along with rain, strong winds can be associated with microbursts – sometimes over 60 miles an hour.

The quick moving storm also tore the roof off of the Braum's Ice-Cream shop on Route 66 in Claremore.

Insulation and pieces of the roof that were tossed about and the store was closed following the damage.