In the aftermath of Hurricane’s Maria’s devastating impact on Puerto Rico, residents and staff at three senior living communities continue to face challenges, and find new sources of strength. A Yardi client in Puerto Rico shares their story. As Category 4 Maria hurtled towards Puerto Rico, three Insignia Senior Living communities initiated their disaster plan and began communicating with residents and family members. By the time the storm made landfall on September 20, its unprecedented strength meant even the best-laid plans called for some improvisation and cooperation on behalf of residents and staff. “No amount of preparation could have helped us anticipate all the challenges that we have been facing,” says Insignia Senior Living CEO Milton L. Cruz. “We have had to make a lot of adjustments to our plans, always using our best judgment.” A Continuing Crisis Though Hurricane Maria’s reign of terror ended weeks ago, the residents of Puerto Rico are still dealing with the aftermath of the storm’s impact. Over 80 percent of the island is still without power, and according to FEMA, residents are currently coping with low medicine supplies and a daily shortfall of 1.8 million meals. For Cruz and the residents who depend on him, the continuing crisis in Puerto Rico – especially the lack of dependable power – poses life-threatening risks. “While Hurricane Maria made landfall weeks ago, we are still facing the aftermath today as strongly as we did the day after the storm,” he says. “This isn’t over, and it will take months, if not years, to rebuild the island.” “This was a truly catastrophic event, and we will need a lot of help and support from our fellow US citizens.” Staff Saves the Day Though the precautions and protocols established by Insignia’s Puerto Rico...

A Tallahassee senior living provider opens its doors to senior community escaping the path of Hurricane Irma. On September 1st, Mike Schmidt quickly responded to a call asking for help relocating 100 seniors from the Naples, Fla. community they call home. As Hurricane Irma began to bear down on the Florida Keys, Schmidt, Executive Director of Tapestry Living, knew he must act quickly to make room for the displaced residents while also helping them feel safe in secure during this turbulent time. “We’re ready to go,” Schmidt told local news station WTXL. “We’ve got food supplies on order. Medications are ready to go. The pharmacy has been contacted, so things are really working out for the best.” A Storm for the Ages With most of Houston still under water, the nation once again braced for another historic storm. Generating more than 50 inches of rain and causing over $75 billion in damage, Hurricane Harvey currently holds the spot as the “second-costliest natural disaster in US history,” but that ranking could change now that Hurricane Irma rips through the Caribbean on its way to Florida’s east coast. After decimating several islands in the Caribbean, the storm should reach the Florida keys late Friday, making landfall near Miami early Sunday morning. A more weakened storm will arrive in Orlando on Monday before Irma finally downgrades to a tropical storm and heads out across the Atlantic Downgraded to a Category 4 storm early Friday morning,  Hurricane Irma currently churns about 400 miles southeast of Miami. Moving at about 14 mph and generating winds of up to 150 mph, the National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning for Florida overnight, warning residents that “preparations to protect life should be rushed to completion.” With over six million people in the Hurricane’s path,...

Viral photo of flooded assisted-living facility  in Houston demonstrates importance of disaster preparedness for senior living communities. With so many heartbreaking images of the devastation visited upon Houston by Hurricane Harvey, the photo of residents of the La Vita Bella assisted-living center in Dickinson stands out. The photo, which depicts several seniors submerged in murky, waist-high flood waters, triggered outrage after gaining widespread attention on Twitter and other social media outlets. By Sunday afternoon, an evacuation was underway, with all the eventually relocated to a nearby nursing home. With a new photo of the now safe and dry residents now making the rounds online, questions still linger regarding the delay in emergency services, with some of the resident’s family members telling CNN they were forced to post the photo on Twitter in an attempt to trigger a rescue effort. “They were basically told no one was coming because they couldn’t reach them,” Kim McIntosh, mother of resident Trudy Lampson, told CNN. “That’s when we decided to go ahead and tweet the photos.” Preparing For Disaster While the situation at La Vita Bella is, hopefully, an extreme example, the catastrophe triggered by Hurricane Harvey serves as yet another reminder of the importance of disaster preparedness. As Jay Shelton, Senior Vice President, at Assurance Risk Management, writes in a December 2015 issue of Senior Housing Business, “The best time to write one of these plans is, frankly, yesterday.” “Without prior planning, you leave your organization open to financial disaster,” he continues, “especially if you are forced to close operations for a period of time. In addition, without a proper plan to cope with a disaster, your facility may face lawsuits from vendors, employees or residents’ families claiming negligence.” Prioritize and Delegate When developing an emergency preparedness...