Sarasota Senior AdvisorWhat should I ask an assisted living facility about hurricanes?
Ask whether the building has a fixed generator and what it powers (especially air conditioning), how much fuel is on site, where residents evacuate to and how, and how families are notified; AHCA profiles report each facility's generator and emergency power data.
95 of the 128 licensed ALFs in Sarasota and Manatee counties report a fixed generator on their AHCA emergency power data; each facility page in our directory shows whether one is reported.
Do Florida nursing homes and ALFs have to keep residents cool after a power failure?
Yes: since 2018, Florida rules have required nursing homes and assisted living facilities to have emergency power plans that keep indoor temperatures at safe levels for at least 96 hours after a power outage.
Ask to see how the plan works for your parent's wing, not just the common areas.
How can seniors living at home prepare for a storm?
Know your evacuation zone, keep two weeks of medications and supplies, plan where you will go and how, register for the county's special-needs shelter if you depend on electricity or need help, and tell family the plan before June 1.
Barrier islands such as Longboat Key, Siesta Key and Anna Maria are among the first areas ordered to evacuate.
Can my parent go to an assisted living facility for a storm?
Some facilities offer short respite stays, which can be booked ahead of a storm if a room is available, but facilities near the coast may themselves evacuate, so ask before relying on it.
Plan the stay early in the season, not when the cone appears.
Does a nursing home or ALF evacuation cost residents extra?
It can; check the contract for how evacuation costs are handled, and ask how the facility moves residents' medications, records and equipment so care continues at the receiving site.
Facilities that shelter in place rely on their generators and the 96-hour cooling requirement.
How do I find out whether my parent's home is in an evacuation zone?
Sarasota County and Manatee County emergency management publish evacuation zone maps searchable by address; zones are called by letter from the most vulnerable coastal areas inland.
Registration for special-needs shelters is through each county's emergency management office.
What should be in a senior's hurricane go-bag?
A list of medications and doses with two weeks' supply, copies of insurance cards and powers of attorney, eyeglasses, hearing aid batteries, chargers, a few days of food and water, and contact numbers for doctors and family.
Keep it by the door from June through November.
Sources include Chapters 408, 429 and 651 of the Florida Statutes, Fla. Admin. Code chapters 59A-36 and 65A-2, AHCA, DCF, OIR and Elder Affairs pages, CareScout and VA rate tables as cited above; see our editorial standards.
