Current:Home > FinanceFlorida nursing homes evacuated 1000s before Ian hit. Some weathered the storm -BrightPath Capital
Florida nursing homes evacuated 1000s before Ian hit. Some weathered the storm
View
Date:2025-04-25 18:46:12
Stay, or go?
That was the question facing the hundreds of Florida nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Hurricane Ian's path this week. Moving elderly residents can cause "transfer trauma," with the stress of relocation sometimes leading to deterioration. But staying put during a powerful hurricane comes with obvious risks to health and safety.
With Ian still wreaking havoc on the Southeast, and now blamed for 21 deaths in Florida, NPR reached out to two dozen Florida nursing homes in Charlotte, Collier and Lee Counties, where the storm struck first. Most could not be reached or declined to comment, but some shared updates.
"In 42 years, we've never evacuated," says an employee at Calusa Harbour in Fort Myers, Florida. The employee asked NPR not to use their name because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
But for Hurricane Ian, which hit Florida on the cusp of Category 5 winds, that changed. Calusa Harbour moved their assisted living residents to an affiliated facility an hour to the south.
More than 40 nursing homes made the same choice and evacuated around 3,400 residents before the storm set in, according to the Florida Health Care Association, a trade organization. Most are located in the southwestern part of the state, and transferred residents to affiliated facilities outside the storm's path. At least another 115 assisted living facilities also evacuated residents.
Others chose to ride it out.
"We stayed and we endured through it," says Tameka Miller, who works at the Port Charlotte Rehabilitation Center, in Charlotte County. Staff embedded with residents, and some family members also came to ride out the storm with loved ones.
"We had a little mishaps but everything is ok. We are running off a generator and we are running normally," says Miller.
Flooding in unexpected places led to rescues
As Ian dumped more than a foot of water on parts of the state, five more nursing homes with hundreds of residents reported being forced to leave as floodwaters rose, some well outside the evacuation zone, according to the FHCA.
In central Florida and the eastern coast, "the water rose so quickly because they took on so much rain that they had to leave," says spokesperson Kristen Knapp.
In one such area, Orange County Fire Rescue reported evacuating the Avante at Orlando and The Bridge and Life Care of Orlando facilities.
Videos show rescue workers ferrying residents in wheelchairs and gurneys to waiting buses.
The person who answered the phone at Avante at Orlando declined to comment, and gave a number to a corporate office mailbox that was full.
The Bridge At Orlando also did not pick up. A person who answered the phone at the Life Care Center at Orlando says 122 people were moved to an affiliated facility in Altamonte Springs.
"We are grateful for the compassion and professionalism displayed by our staff during and after the hurricane, as they've focused on ensuring our residents stay calm and comfortable," said Life Care Centers of America CEO Joe Jicha in a statement.
As of Friday, around 21 nursing homes are without power, according to Knapp, who says that could be an undercount because of power outages.
Florida law requires all assisted living and nursing homes to have backup power and four days worth of generator fuel on hand, after more than a dozen people died in a South Florida facility following Hurricane Irma due to lack of air-conditioning. Knapp says utility companies had been checking on and prioritizing these buildings for reconnection.
Christina Webb, front desk staff at Coral Trace Health Care in Cape Coral, says her facility also rode out the storm. Power has been out for about two days but generators are working fine.
"The only thing we had was some damage from trees falling, but people are out there picking them up now," says Webb.
Several counties in Florida remain almost entirely without power, and a spokesperson from Florida Power & Light told Reuters some areas will remain in the dark for a "prolonged period" because damage to the electricity system was too great.
"[We're] just taking it day-by-day right now," says Webb.
veryGood! (87492)
Related
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Sophia Bush Says She’s “Happier Than Ever” After Personal Journey
- How Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright Are Reuniting to Celebrate Son Cruz's 3rd Birthday Amid Separation
- Authorities offer $45,000 for info leading to arrest in arson, vandalism cases in Arizona town
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Giannis Antetokounmpo exits Bucks-Celtics game with non-contact leg injury
- Assistant principal charged with felony child abuse in 6-year-old's shooting of teacher
- California student, an outdoor enthusiast, dies in accident on trip to Big Sur
- Average rate on 30
- Judge rules that Ja Morant acted in self-defense when he punched teenager
Ranking
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- Biden's new student loan forgiveness plan could help 30 million borrowers. Here's who would qualify.
- Right to abortion unlikely to be enshrined in Maine Constitution after vote falls short
- Sen. Bob Menendez’s wife cites need for surgery in request to delay her trial
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Oliver Hudson and Robyn Lively Confess They Envy Sisters Kate Hudson and Blake Lively for This Reason
- Oliver Hudson admits he was unfaithful to wife before marriage: 'I couldn't live with myself'
- How to watch 2024 WNBA draft where Caitlin Clark is expected to be No. 1 overall pick
Recommendation
Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
Man indicted in attempt to defraud 28 US federal bankruptcy courts out of $1.8M in unclaimed funds
Alex Verdugo off to flying start with NY Yankees, embracing the new Bronx 'dawgs'
Kansas deputy fatally shoots woman holding a knife and scissors
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
Indiana Fever picks first in star-studded WNBA draft with Caitlin Clark. See full draft order
Calvin Harris' wife Vick Hope admits she listens to his ex Taylor Swift when he's gone
What to know about UConn head coach Dan Hurley, from playing to coaching