Nursing homes and assisted living facilities across Florida's Atlantic coast began preparing to move residents out of harm's way ahead of Hurricane Dorian on Sept. 3, according to The New York Times.
The effort comes two years after Hurricane Irma caused power outages in 2017, which led to the deaths of 12 residents at The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills (Fla.). Last week, four employees were charged in the deaths, which were ruled homicides.
In response to the tragedy, state law now requires nursing homes and assisted living facilities to have backup generators and sufficient fuel to keep residents at a comfortable temperature. Most of Florida's 3,062 licensed assisted living centers have the generators, and five have emergency evacuation plans. Florida nursing homes are less prepared, as almost 60 percent of them have no power backup, according to The Miami Herald.
Other facilities have already evacuated their residents. St. Augustine, Fla.-based Samantha Wilson Care Center evacuated 126 people to three facilities in Orlando and DeLand. The Good Samaritan Society's retirement home in DeLand, for example, had 400 residents as of Sept. 4, a number far higher than its usual 150.
Florida's retirees make up one-fifth of the population, more than any other state.