Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Friday addressed video of massive flooding at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland just outside of Washington, D.C., saying the flooding was caused by deferred maintenance by the Biden administration and vowed that President Trump would provide the “best care” to troops.
The catastrophic damage at the hospital center occurred in mid-January right as Biden left office. A steam system failure and frozen pipes damaged a reported fifty rooms and six elevators, causing patients to be moved to other rooms and hospitals, surgeries to be put off, and reducing the ability to handle a mass casualty event.
Hegseth was responding to shocking video obtained by national talk radio host Buck Sexton posted to X Thursday night. Sexton had commented, “This flooding is inside Walter Reed National Military Medical center- source tells me following years of neglect, a critical steam system failure has crippled all non-emergency operations. Critical situation at military medicine’s flagship institution.”
This flooding is inside Walter Reed National Military Medical center- source tells me following years of neglect, a critical steam system failure has crippled all non-emergency operations. Critical situation at military medicine’s flagship institution. pic.twitter.com/rnmNDITHc0
— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) January 31, 2025
Hegseth posted a statement on X Friday afternoon, “We looked into this – it’s real and unacceptable. This is a result of deferred maintenance under the last administration. My staff is prioritizing fixing this, and under this President our troops will only receive the best care.”
We looked into this – it’s real and unacceptable.
This is a result of deferred maintenance under the last administration. My staff is prioritizing fixing this, and under this President our troops will only receive the best care. https://t.co/evnYMarGRz
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) January 31, 2025
The Defense Health Agency, which oversees Walter Reed, issued a statement Friday:
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Facilities Challenges
In January, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center experienced facilities challenges, beginning with frozen pipes bursting from extremely cold weather in the National Capital Region, then two incidents leading to water damage. Overall, fifty rooms and six elevators were damaged. Patients were safely moved to other locations within the medical center or transferred to other hospitals when necessary. Clean-up is complete and repairs are underway. Walter Reed continues to deliver care and admit patients to all wards.
We are grateful for our partners at the Navy Installation Command and the Naval Support Activity Bethesda in addressing these incidents in a timely manner. We remain committed to delivering the high quality, patient-focused care to our service members, retirees, and families.
Walter Reed hospital flooding, steam failure causes chaos for patient care. Great story by @AlexHortonTX and @bydanielgilbert. No paywall here: https://t.co/1A6tatBx91
— Tom Jackman (@TomJackmanWP) January 31, 2025
The Washington Post reported Friday afternoon that patient care was affected (excerpt):
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has experienced widespread flooding in recent days and outages of its steam system vital for equipment sterilization, significant infrastructure failures that threaten to disrupt patient care for months to come, The Washington Post has learned.
The medical facility in Maryland, responsible for the care of U.S. presidents and severely wounded service members among others, experienced the utility problems beginning in mid-January. Since then, there have been multiple breakdowns that have left the hospital unable to handle a large influx of patients should a crisis occur, according to internal emails and imagery obtained by The Post, and two Walter Reed staffers who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the situation.
The source of the flooding, a burst sprinkler pipe, spewed 60,000 gallons of water before it was contained — enough “to fill a 25×50 foot swimming pool,” according to an email sent to Walter Reed staff on Monday from the medical center’s director, Navy Capt. Melissa C. Austin. Five buildings and dozens of rooms and hallways were affected, the email says. Video and other imagery obtained by The Post show water gushing from pipes, soaked ceiling tiles that crumbled and fell to the floor, and a constant drip of liquid falling like rain from the rafters.
Another infrastructure failure, the breakdown and leak of the hospital’s steam system, happened around Jan. 18 and has compromised staff’s ability to sterilize surgical equipment while sharply reducing the number of surgeries performed there, said one of Walter Reed’s employees.
The sterile processing department has become “nonfunctional,” according to a recent briefing slide shared with Walter Reed staff and obtained by The Post. The document says a concurrent release of steam has created “unbearable conditions” in the general surgery department, with temperatures reaching to 112 degrees.
The Post also reported that hospital director Capt. Melissa Austin appeared to downplay concerns about mold at the hospital after the flooding:
Austin, the hospital’s director, has appeared to downplay concerns from workers about a potential for mold growth after so much water penetrated the facility and the threat that could pose to patients and staff, her emails show. It’s true there may be a “funky” smell, she wrote in one message to staff, but that doesn’t mean mold is present. Mold, she wrote, is part of the “tapestry of life” in Maryland and any overgrowth would be targeted by industrial hygiene workers brought in to clean affected spaces, she wrote.
Navy Captain Melissa Austin took over as hospital director in July of 2023.
BETHESDA, Md. (July 5, 2023) — Walter Reed National Military Medical Center — U.S. Navy Capt. Melissa Austin assumed directorship of Walter Reed during a change of directorship ceremony in Memorial Auditorium. She assumes the helm of the world’s most revered military hospital, often referred to as “The President’s Hospital,” during a period of transformation for the historic campus.
“To whom much is given, much is required,” emphasized Austin in thanking her mentor outgoing Walter Reed director U.S. Navy Capt. Felix A. Drew Bigby. “That’s why my goal is that each of you have the same passion, purpose, and pride for military medical service that I do,” pledged Austin – promising to embrace the challenges of leading the military’s flagship hospital by empowering creativity and collaboration each and every day.
Austin joins Walter Reed after serving as the first commanding officer of the Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) at Fort Belvoir, a command that was previously a NMRTC under Bethesda. Austin previously served as the executive officer, NMRTC Portsmouth; deputy director, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth; and as the commanding officer for Expeditionary Medical Facility Juliet.
Austin, the daughter of a career Army officer, graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering and earned a commission through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) in 1996. She spent seven years in the surface warfare community before earning her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and completing her residency training in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the University of Washington Medical Center.
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