Florida-based senior living operators have prepared for the arrival of Hurricane Milton by shoring up emergency plans and evacuating residents.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the hurricane was barreling toward Florida, with an expected landfall late in the evening. According to the National Weather Service, the storm will bring a “potentially catastrophic” storm surge and flooding, heavy rainfall and winds up to 130 miles per hour.
The storm has sent scores of Floridians fleeing to higher and safer ground. Among them are many senior living operators in the state, especially those under mandatory evacuation orders and in the Tampa region.
For instance, Westminster Communities of Florida and Distinctive Living, both of have evacuated some residents to communities within their portfolios or to communities belonging to other regional operators.
As they strive to keep residents safe, other operators, including Innovation Senior Living, are leaning on their emergency response plans to see them through and readying for power outages, material shortages and other difficulties once the storm passes over.
Operators evacuate residents, help one another
With Hurricane Milton on the way, some operators have had to relocate residents to keep them safe from the storm. In some cases, they have been able to house residents in other communities in their portfolios.
More than 300 health care facilities in Florida have been evacuated as of Wednesday afternoon, representing the biggest evacuation of such properties in the state, according to industry association Argentum. About 217 assisted living communities have so far evacuated residents in the state.
Gail Matillo, president and CEO of the Florida Senior Living Association, said hundreds of assisted living communities in the state have evacuated to safer regions, and those unable to do so have coordinated with their local emergency management staff and implemented “best management practices to stay as safe as possible.”
The FSLA is also coordinating with the agency for healthcare administration who regulates assisted living in Florida and sister organizations in Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana to find shelter for senior living residents and staff who need it.
Joe Jedlowski, CEO of Distinctive Living, said the operator has evacuated its communities in the Tampa and Sarasota areas. Other neighboring Distinctive Living communities outside of the hurricane’s forecasted impact zone were able to absorb the residents and staff.
In some cases, other senior living operators have stepped up to take in residents that need somewhere to go.
According to Westminster Communities of Florida Marketing and Communications Director Wes Meltzer, a variety of communities across the Sunshine State agreed to help host the operator’s residents, including Legacy Pointe in Orlando; Lutheran Haven in Oviedo; Oak Hammock in Gainesville; Mease Life in Dunedin; Orlando Lutheran Towers; Penney Retirement Community in Green Cove Springs; and The Ponce Nursing and Rehabilitation in St. Augustine.
“As of yesterday we have completed the evacuation of assisted living, memory support and nursing care residents. They are at their evacuation sites and will stay there until it is safe to return,” Meltzer told Senior Housing News.
Gary Hennis, COO of Westminster Communities of Florida, added that the organization is “thankful for our dedicated team members, the communities hosting our residents for the evacuation, and even the residents who are hosting their neighbors or someone from another community.”
“When a storm threatens, we know we are a team and a family. We will always help each other and provide for the residents we serve. Please keep our communities and the Florida Gulf Coast in your prayers,” Hennis told SHN.
Other operators that are further inland, such as Innovation Senior Living, which has six communities, aren’t under mandatory evacuation orders. But they still must keep residents safe, something that is tricky in the aftermath of a hurricane. Pilar Carvajal, founder and CEO of Innovation Senior Living, told SHN the company’s managers and key frontline employees are staying put to see residents through the hurricane and its aftermath.
“Thankfully, most of our communities are inland,” Carvajal told Senior Housing News. “Evacuations are very difficult and traumatic for all involved. But we are prepared should we have to move our residents after the storm has passed.”
‘Stressed but prepared’
Leaders of senior living operators in Florida who spoke with Senior Housing News said they feel ready for the storm, even if it is coming as a big disruption to their operations.
For many senior living operators, preparations for the tumultuous hurricane season began months ago, according to Jedlowski. During that time, Distinctive Living assembled a “hurricane task force” that was responsible for reviewing all policies and procedures for a disastrous storm. The task force worked with vendors to ensure supplies such as fuel for generators were stocked and readied plans to stay in constant communication with local government and state resources.
Jedlowski added that he hopes Distinctive’s communities, which are more recently built, will be able to better withstand the hurricane and its effects than some older properties in the state.
Westminster Communities shared workers throughout its portfolio to ensure the appropriate levels of staffing are in place throughout the duration of the storm. Additionally, the nonprofit has increased its level of communication with residents and their families.
“We are doing regular email blasts and sending mass text and call updates. We also activated the hurricane section of our websites and have been posting updates since the storm’s threat became clearer on Saturday,” Meltzer said.
Staff who are staying in place to work in communities are receiving several benefits for their efforts as well. According to Carvajal, employees are receiving time-and-a-half pay. Following the hurricane, they will be recognized in other ways for their dedication and hard work, she said.
Jedlowski said the operator is ready to take additional measures, such as temporary housing for staffers impacted by the storm along with covering their food expenses and costs of commuting if needed.
Matillo noted in the past, FSLA has created assistance funds to help senior living staff members affected by storms and hurricanes. Typically, these funds come together and are distributed as part of the recovery process following a hurricane once the extent and scope of damage has been determined.
In the meantime, the organization is coordinating with other Argentum state partners in order to receive additional help and supplies.
Current efforts are complicated by the fact that Hurricane Helene blew through parts of the state in late September. According to Argentum, some areas in states affected by that hurricane are still seeing lingering power, phone, internet and water outages.
Indeed, operators are expecting to grapple with power outages, damage and other complications in the wake of the storm. Argentum noted that “authorities are projecting potential long-term utility outages and ask that everyone prepare for that possibility.”
Carvajal said Innovation has secured its buildings and done all it can to prepare. Now, all that’s left to do is wait for the storm to arrive late Wednesday and into early Thursday.
“We have secured all our communities but are anticipating post hurricane conditions including power outages, damage and travel hazards,” Carvajal said. “We have reached out to first responders to let them know we are OK. We are all stressed but prepared.”
