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Kemp Tours Grady Nearly Two Weeks After Water Main Burst
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Gov. Brian Kemp visited Grady Memorial Hospital's mobile unit Monday, nearly two weeks after a water pipe burst.
Grady lost more than 220 beds out of 700 after a 24-inch water main break flooded three floors in the Atlanta hospital.
About a week after the burst and flood, Kemp declared a state of emergency for the largest hospital in Georgia.
After touring the damage inside the hospital and the mobile unit, Kemp praised the Grady staff for their handling of the situation, which he said could’ve been catastrophic.
"The best thing I could do is stay out of their way,” Kemp said. “Just let things get calmed down and provide any resources that the state and our team could provide, which we did. I think Georgians should be proud of the response of the Grady staff and state, local, and area hospitals. "
When asked to assess the damage he saw, Kemp said his history in the construction business left little to the imagination.
“Water coming out of a 24-inch water main, literally destroys streets when it happens underground,” he said. “So the damage is severe, as you can imagine, but they’re on top of it.”
“They have a lot of mitigation to do before you can start the construction back to make sure there are no lingering effects,” Kemp said.
Grady officials say they expect repairs to take about three months, but they are still seeing hundreds of emergency patients a day.
The mobile unit can expand to hold up to 30 beds if needed.
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