WILTON MANORS, FLA. (WSVN) - Fifty-seven residents were evacuated from a Wilton Manors nursing home after the facility had been left without power for five days.
Wilton Manors Police stopped traffic Thursday morning while the residents of Williamsburg Landing Assisted Living Facility were evacuated.
“It’s a precaution because we just don’t know when the power’s going to come up. We’ve got buildings with air conditioning. We can accommodate the residents, and it worked out well,” said the facilities owner Ralph Marrinson.
The residents will stay across the street at properties that do have power.
The evacuation comes just one day after eight residents died at a Hollywood nursing home that had also lost power after the storm.
Marrinson said the tragedy did not factor into his decision to evacuate his facility.
“We decided ourselves that it was just time. We got the air conditioning. Why not take advantage of it?” he said.
Hilda Tague’s husband is a resident at Williamsburg Landing and has checked on her husband every day.
“He’s O.K. They just put him on a bus. I’m getting ready to go and check on him,” she said.
Paramedics treated residents at a Fort Lauderdale nursing home without power, Wednesday. A bus was parked near the facility and offered residents a cool place to sit.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Marshals said checking on the elderly is procedure after a hurricane hits.
“Yesterday, we checked on all the condominiums. Today, we did go around and check all of our nursing homes and ALFs, which is our adult living facilities,” said Fort Lauderdale Fire Marshal Jeff Lucas.
Power has since been restored to the nursing home in Wilton Manors though the residents have yet to return.
“My heart goes out to everyone, but these people need priority, and it needs to be proactive, not after the fact,” said Tague.
Since Hurricane Irma, more than 150 assisted living facilities across the state have been without power or were evacuated.
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