

Extensive flooding has damaged multiple buildings at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The facility in Bethesda, Maryland, which treats thousands of injured service members as well as American presidents, saw 50 rooms, 11 hallways and five elevators impacted as a result of several pipes freezing and then bursting due to the cold weather. Services on site have been greatly impacted for the last two weeks, and it will take many more to fully repair the installation.
The situation started on Jan. 20 when a sprinkler burst, according to the Defense Health Agency, which oversees the medical facility. In a release on Friday, Jan. 31, the agency said that the leak caused 60,000 gallons of water to spill into hospital space before it was contained. The damage greatly impacted patient care over the last two weeks, with operating room capacity limited to “urgent/emergent cases only.” The Defense Health Agency’s fact sheet said that as of Friday, 56 cases had been moved to other hospitals and 212 scheduled visits were deferred or rescheduled.
Hospital staff are also looking to move elective surgeries and other non-emergency procedures to other hospitals. The Washington Post first reported on the damage to the installation. Photos obtained by the Washington Post show collapsed parts of ceilings and dirty water pooled up inside hospital bedrooms and other spaces.
The actual flooding has stopped and the Defense Health Agency said that patients were safely relocated to other rooms or in some cases to other hospitals. However the damage could take more than a month to fix.
Additionally, Walter Reed buildings saw a steam leak that severely limited staff’s ability to sterilize surgical equipment. The Sterilization Processing Department is “non-operational,” the agency said, and several other installations, including Andrews Air Force Base, are providing sterilized equipment for procedures at Walter Reed. The Washington Post’s report found that it also caused temperatures to rise inside surgical areas, above 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Washington Post, citing defense officials and internal messaging, reported that the medical center would be unable to handle a surge in patients in the event of a disaster or crisis. Task & Purpose reached out to Walter Read and the Defense Health Agency but as of press time has not heard back.
The exact cause of the two sources of damage is not confirmed, the agency said, but it pointed to the winter weather and the age of some of the buildings’ infrastructure. Although some buildings at Walter Reed are newer, many are decades old.
As a result, it will take approximately six weeks to fully repair. So far one building has been repaired and patients have been moved back to it. Other ones are still undergoing maintenance, with electrical capabilities restored after the flooding. It’s unclear if potential side effects to the damage, such as mold on waterlogged walls or ceilings, have or will emerge during the repair process.
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