Page 18 - KPA

A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 14 sepTember 2017

8 die at Florida nursing home in Irma’s sweltering aftermath

Continued from Front gency plan that includes
He also said investigators evacuation plans for resi-
will look into how many win- dents. County officials re-
dows were open. leased documents showing
Across the street from the that the Hollywood facil-
stifling nursing home sat a ity was in compliance with
fully air-conditioned hospi- that regulation and that it
tal, Memorial Regional. held a hurricane drill with its
Broward County said the staff in October.
nursing home had alerted Calls to the owner and oth-
the county emergency op- er officials at the Hollywood
erations center on Tuesday home were not immedi-
that it had lost power, but ately returned, but the fa-
when asked if it had any cility’s administrator, Jorge
medical needs or emer- Caballo, said in a state-
gencies, it did not request ment that it was “coop-
help. erating fully with relevant
“It’s a sad state of affairs,” authorities to investigate
the police chief said. “We the circumstances that
all have elderly people in led to this unfortunate and
facilities, and we all know tragic outcome.” Through
we depend on those peo- a representative, Carballo
ple in those facilities to care told the SunSentinel news-
for a vulnerable elderly paper that the home has
population.” The deaths Staff members at Westwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and a back-up generator but
came as people trying to firefighters from Fort Walton Beach Fire Department load Hurricane Irma evacuees, who had that it does not power the
put their lives back together stayed at Westwood since last Saturday, onto a bus on Wednesday Sept. 13, 2017 to head back air conditioning. The nurs-
in hurricane-stricken Florida to the their facility in Mayo, Fla. ing home was bought at
and beyond confronted a (Nick Tomecek/Florida Daily News via AP) a bankruptcy auction two
multitude of new hazards after the storm had passed. In Hollywood, four pa- to be suffering in the heat years ago after its previous
in the storm’s aftermath, The death toll across the tients were found dead and were evacuated, owner went to prison for
including tree-clearing ac- Caribbean stood at 38. at the nursing home early many on stretchers or in Medicare fraud, according
cidents and lethal genera- At least six people died of Wednesday after emer- wheelchairs. Patients were to news reports at the time
tor fumes. Not counting the apparent carbon monox- gency workers received a treated for dehydration, of the sale. The Centers for
nursing home deaths, at ide poisoning from gen- call about a person with breathing difficulties and Medicare and Medicaid
least 17 people in Florida erators in Florida. A Tampa a heart attack, and four other heat-related ills, au- Services, which regulates
have died under Irma-relat- man died after the chain more died later at the hos- thorities said. nursing homes, gives the
ed circumstances, and six saw he was using to re- pital, authorities said. Nursing homes in Florida Hollywood center a below-
more in South Carolina and move trees recoiled and Altogether, more than 100 are required by state and average rating, two stars
Georgia, many of them well cut his carotid artery. patients there were found federal law to file an emer- on its five-star scale.q

After Irma, reverse migration back to Florida begins

By BILL BARROW “As soon as we hit the state where it meets the Florida Westbrook, a Coral Gables Bolanos and his family —
Associated Press line, it was traffic jams and Turnpike 60 miles north of resident who has settled in a three-car caravan with
ATLANTA (AP) — With Irma accidents,” said Elizabeth Orlando, showed gridlock. Knoxville, Tennessee with multiple generations and
having weakened into in- Priore of Fort Lauderdale, “We were expecting a his wife and children. pets — also is waiting in
land rainstorms, Floridians as she continued her re- nightmare,” Priore said, ex- “We have friends on the Tennessee.
are beginning a mass mi- turn drive from Alpharetta, plaining that she decided it road, and they’re letting us Florida Gov. Rick Scott and
gration back to a battered, Georgia, late Tuesday af- was better to brave it than know it’s just what I feared other authorities are urg-
water-logged state where ternoon. Priore said she had to wait. Other Floridians are it would be.” ing evacuees not to be in
millions remain without managed to find gas and opting to wait it out, fear- Adam Bolanos, a high a rush to return, particularly
power. open restaurants along the ing the congestion, lane school teacher from Fort those who live in the hard-
But traffic maps, social me- way, and she said Inter- closures, fender benders, Lauderdale, Florida, says est-hit areas, from Key West
dia reports, gasoline track- state 95 south of Jackson- shuttered restaurants and he’s talking to neighbors and the southwest coast-
ers and the ever-reliable ville was “moving well.” gas stations without fuel. and friends on the road, line near Naples to the
eye test all said it wasn’t an But traffic cameras else- “We’re not leaving until particularly about fuel ac- flooded neighborhoods
easy trip Tuesday and won’t where in the state, partic- Thursday because of the cess. “The shortage is very of Jacksonville in state’s
be in the days ahead. ularly along Interstate 75 gas situation,” said Nick real,” he said. northeast corner.q