East Houston Regional Medical Center won't reopen after flood damage from Harvey
HOUSTON, Texas -- A Houston hospital won't be reopening after it was heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey.
Officials with East Houston Regional Medical Center say even though the facility was rebuilt after previous storms, they determined it wouldn't be safe to continue operating the hospital, located in a low-lying area prone to flooding.
Although the hospital was equipped with flood gates, nearly six feet of water inundated it during Harvey, which dumped more than 50 inches of rain in the Houston area in late August.
Hospital officials say they're working with nearly 500 employees to offer them jobs at other facilities run by HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division, which has hospitals in Houston, Corpus Christi and South Texas.
The 131-bed hospital had operated for more than 40 years.
