The Louisiana Department of Health says it has been alerted to the death of four nursing home patients at an evacuation facility in Tangipahoa Parish. Three of the deaths are classified as "storm-related" by the coroner. The cause of death in the fourth case has not been definitively determined.
"It was just awful," one worker at the facility told WWL-TV. "One of the rooms flooded with water, we had to get everybody out."
That same worker says he is not surprised to hear people died, "because the conditions weren't' good enough. I knew it wasn't going to be safe."
"About 800 people, 800 residents were transported here" said Independence Police Chief Frank Edwards. "That put them over capacity, potentially, and the facility was not equipped, or had not been prepared for that number of people and the conditions deteriorated rather rapidly."
Chief Edwards said the power at the facility went out, and then the generator failed. He notified his brother, Gov. John Bel Edwards, that he believed there was a problem there.
LDH officials say they have significant concerns about the facility.
"Upon hearing reports of deteriorating conditions at the facility after Hurricane Ida made landfall, LDH inspectors promptly visited the site but were expelled from the property and prevented from conducting a full assessment on Tuesday," the department said in a news release.
LDH says more than 700 residents have been "rescued from the facility" as of 9:46 a.m. Thursday, and they are working to find safe placements for the remaining residents.
"This is a serious and active investigation," said LDH. "We will be taking action against these nursing facilities, and will be making appropriate referrals to law enforcement."
These nursing homes evacuated their residents to this facility:
- River Palms Nursing and Rehab, Orleans Parish
- South Lafourche Nursing and Rehab, Lafourche Parish
- Maison Orleans Healthcare Center, Orleans Parish
- Park Place Healthcare Nursing Home, Jefferson Parish
- West Jefferson Health Care Center, Jefferson Parish
- Maison DeVille Nursing Home, Terrebonne Parish
- Maison DeVille Nursing Home of Harvey, Jefferson Parish