Roof Collapse Forces Hospital Evacuation in Hurricane Michael's Aftermath

Healthcare providers along Florida's panhandle were reeling Thursday and Friday in the wake of a storm that left 11 dead across four states.

Two hospitals in Panama City, Florida, were forced to evacuate about 330 patients after Hurricane Michael inflicted roof, water, and structural damage on their facilities.

Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart announced Thursday morning that the deadly storm had caused a section of the roof on the hospital's materials management building to collapse, leaving care teams without the supplies they would need to provide longer-term care.

The evacuation of about 200 patients, which included 39 intensive care unit patients, was expected to be completed by Saturday morning. Patients were being taken to Ascension hospitals in Pensacola, Jacksonville, and Mobile, Alabama. State officials, the Florida Hospital Association, HCA Healthcare, and others assisted.

A report by The New York Times described the scene at Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart as "a tumultuous mess" on Thursday morning, with broken windows, damaged buildings, and debris-strewn streets: "Doctors, nurses and staff members wandered outside, some crying, some looking for cell service."

In a statement, CEO Scott Campbell thanked the hospital's staff for their commitment to patients riding out the storm.

"Our staff and physicians have demonstrated extraordinary dedication throughout this crisis, providing exemplary care for our patients," he said. "This has been a truly noble effort and we are deeply grateful for their sacrifice."

Across town, Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center evacuated about 130 patients, as ABC News reported.

Despite the evacuations, both hospitals are keeping their emergency departments operational.

Eleven deaths have been attributed to the storm, including four in Florida, one in Georgia, one in North Carolina, and five in Virginia, as NBC News reported.

Stock prices for HCA Healthcare, Community Health Systems, and United Health Services—each of which operate hospitals in Hurricane Michael's path—have all fallen this week.