By Mackenna Moralez, Associate Editor

Hurricane Helene touched down in Florida this past weekend, leaving hundreds of residents without power and Waffle Houses in the area deciding to close and board windows. At the time of publication, the hurricane has been upgraded to a category 4 hurricane, with maximum sustained windows of 130 mph. Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 61 counties, which allows state official to make critical resources available to communities ahead of any potential storm impacts. 

At least 26 nursing homes and 43 assisted living facilities in the path of the storm have said that they were evacuating the area. Nursing home residents in Crawfordville, FL were evacuated by first responders and will be taken further inland via charter bus. According to Yahoo News, the residents were labeled as a number one priority as many are wheelchair bound or have other physical limitations. Seniors are particularly vulnerable during extreme weather events due to chronic health conditions, mobility issues and cognitive impairments, potentially limiting their ability to respond to natural disasters independently.   

Related: Nursing Home Owner Faces No Jailtime After Hurricane Mishandling

The act of moving people can be incredibly dangerous. Life safety codes require exits to be at the end of buildings, preventing people from getting trapped. However, in the event of an extreme weather event like a hurricane, the evacuation process sometimes needs to be centralized to be better controlled for everyone’s safety.  

The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) has made more than 540 provider calls in preparation for landfall. Residents in facilities that are not being evacuated have been reassured that there are generators on-site in the event of a power outage.  

Many senior care facilities lack the funds to properly plan for weather-related evacuations. As many facilities are operated under a tight budget, resources for staff training and emergency supplies are hard to come by, which only leads to dangerous situations for the residents. While specialized shelters do exist, they are not always available, and many facilities are forced to manage these events independently.  

Mackenna Moralez is the associate editor of the facilities market.