Marietta hospital shut down by tornado damage

MARIETTA, Okla. (KTEN) — On Saturday night around 11 o'clock, an estimated 150 staff members at Mercy Health Love County hospital had to take cover for shelter and move 10 patients to safety.

The tornado left behind scattered metal and damaged hospital equipment; as a result, the facility can no longer accept new patients.

"We regularly train for severe weather, so our co-workers were ready and knew what to do," said hospital administrator Scott Callender in a written statement.

No one was injured when the tornado hit the hospital, but Marietta residents are now forced to look elsewhere for emergency care.

Patients are being transported to hospitals in Ardmore, Sulphur, Gainesville, or Denton, based on the necessary level of care.

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Saturday's storm also wiped out the headquarters of Love County EMS, forcing them to relocate to Thackerville, Oklahoma.

"We've lost a place to stay up there, but we're still going," said operations chief Brandon Dunmon. "Nothing's going to change emergency services; we still provide everything to the county, just like we did before." 

Mercy Hospital leaders are working to get back to fully operational status as soon as possible, but they say rebuilding could take months.