VIDEO: Damage to South Pavilion at NCH Healthcare after high winds blow wall panels off of mechanical penthouse on roof; Central Road closed.
Arlington Heights police and firefighter/paramedics responded about 2:44 PM Friday to a report of wind damage at Northwest Community Hospital, 800 West Central Road Arlington Heights, IL. Police and firefighter/paramedics received a report that part of the roof was blowing of the rear part of the hospital.
Firefighters arrived to discover that wall panels from a mechanical room penthouse on the roof peeled away in high winds at the southwest corner of the South Pavilion.
The beautiful nine-story $250 million South Pavilion, which opened Spring 2010, was damaged when at least one of the panels crashed through a hospital room window on an upper floor in the southwest corner. Additional panels fell to the ground along the south property parallel to Central Road. Firefighters retrieved large panels that made it to the ground, and secured the panels from causing further damage.
Maintenance crews quickly boarded up the opening from the shattered window from the inside the hospital to prevent howling winds from blowing throughout the hospital floor. A total of four windows were damaged. Part of a large window sill also appeared to be missing where the large window had shattered.
Patients near the opening were moved away from the opening, but no injuries were reported. Patients and staff were also warned to stay away from windows in the hospital in case any more windows were shattered. Some of the panels that landed on the ground were located near the southeast corner of the hospital near the east driveway and Central Road.
Arlington Heights Fire Department Fire Chief Ken Koeppen ordered Central Road closed in both directions to prevent motorists and pedestrians from being hit by any falling debris caused by high winds. Police closed Central Road for the rest of the afternoon and evening until the winds diminished and the area was secured.
Ambulances were detoured to the Kirchoff Road entrance only while Central Road was blocked.
A 71 mph gust was reported in Harvard, Illinois, and 62 mph gusts were recorded at O’Hare and 61 mph at Midway. Winds were from the west for most of the afternoon and evening hours when most of the damage occurred.
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