Eight people died at a Florida nursing home on Wednesday after the building lost power and temperatures soared in the wake of Hurricane Irma’s assault on the state.
Police responded to the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills early Wednesday and found “extremely hot” temperatures in the facility’s second floor, Hollywood Police Chief Tomas Sanchez said at a news conference.
Officers ordered an evacuation of the building and 115 patients were taken to nearby hospitals. Those evacuated are being treated for dehydration, heat exhaustion, and respiratory conditions, Randy Katz, the medical director of Memorial Regional Hospital said.
The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills suffered “a prolonged power failure” to the facility’s air conditioning system as a result of Hurricane Irma, administrator Jorge Carballo said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, early this morning, several patients experienced distress and there were three fatalities,” Carballo said. An additional three people died at a nearby hospital, police said.
A criminal investigation into the deaths has now been launched, and Carballo said the nursing home is cooperating with authorities.
The Broward County medical examiner released a statement identifying the victims as Bobby Owens, 84, Manuel Mario Medieta, 96, Miguel Antonio Franco, 92, Estella Hendricks, 71, Gail Nova, 71, Carolyn Eatherly, 78, Betty Hibbard, 84, and Albertina Vega, 99.
The causes of death are yet to be determined, the medical examiner said.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott issued a statement Wednesday saying he is heartbroken and will “aggressively demands answers on how this tragic event took place.”
“Protecting the lives of Floridians is my top priority, and that’s why we have worked all week to help Floridians prepare and respond to Hurricane Irma,” the governor added. “Every facility that is charged with caring for patients must take every action and precaution to keep their patients safe — especially patients that are in poor health.”
Scott also directed the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Children and Families to work with law enforcement to investigate the matter.
“If they find that anyone wasn’t acting in the best interests of their patients, we will hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sanchez said police officers had been assigned to check the other 42 assisted living facilities and nursing homes in the city “to make sure they’re in sufficient care of the elderly.”
On Wednesday afternoon Nicole Gomez, a spokesperson for North Miami Beach, told BuzzFeed News the Krystal Bay Nursing and Rehabilitation Center was evacuated and 80 people were transported to other nearby facilities.
“They had generators collapse and their other one, the last one, seemed like it was about to fail,” Gomez told BuzzFeed News. “The facility took proactive measure and notified us they were going to be moving elderly individuals to different facilities.”
A March 2016 safety inspection appears to show that the facility only had a temporary generator and administrators could not provide details of when they planned to install a permanent generator. The Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration gave the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills a “below average” rating.
Th inspection report also cited the facility for a number of violations including unsanitary conditions and the improper handling of food.
In a statement Wednesday, the agency called the loss of lives “a profound tragedy within the larger tragedy of Hurricane Irma.”
“As with millions of other Floridians, our centers are coping with the loss of power and infrastructure in the communities that were most affected by the devastation,” director of communications Kristen Knapp said. “Approximately 150 facilities out of the nearly 700 facilities in the state do not currently have full power services restored.”
