As Florida prepares for mass evacuations ahead of yet another hurricane, nursing homes may encounter much greater challenges in relocating residents this time around.

Still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Helene, which barreled through several states, including Florida, Floridians are now bracing for Hurricane Milton. In the midst of what is now being termed a Category 5 hurricane, Florida authorities expect to see the largest evacuation since 2017’s Hurricane Irma, when nearly 6.8 million Floridians left their homes. Nursing homes will be not be an exception to this trend, experts said.

And, because Hurricane Milton is expected to hit the counties where many of Florida’s nursing homes are located, there could be bed shortages.

“Bed availability may be a challenge, given that the west coast [of Florida] – Pinellas, Manatee, Hillsborough Counties – has the highest concentration of nursing centers in the state,” Emmett Reed, CEO of the Florida Health Care Association (FHCA), said in an emailed statement to Skilled Nursing News. “We’re working with facilities in the Panhandle to identify available beds, as well as our affiliate associations in Georgia and Alabama, whose members have offered available beds.”

In addition, Reed said that these neighboring states are facilitating the access of Florida’s nurses to provide care.

“These states have provided verification and, if necessary, emergency action so that Florida nurses can continue to give care to their residents if there is a need for facilities to evacuate to the bordering states,” Reed said. “As Hurricane Milton approaches, the safety and well-being of residents and staff remain our highest priority. Our member nursing centers and assisted living facilities are working with local authorities to prepare for this storm, mobilizing their teams for evacuations or sheltering-in-place as needed,”

Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded an emergency declaration to cover 51 of the state’s 67 counties Monday morning, and is warning people across the peninsula to prepare.

Meanwhile, at a Monday morning briefing, Florida authorities advised Tampa Bay residents under evacuation orders to heed them.

“I beg you, I implore you, to evacuate,” Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said. “Drowning deaths due to storm surge are 100% preventable, if you leave.”

For those who don’t live in an evacuation zone or depend on electricity for medical needs, authorities said it may be a better option to simply stay in place.

Safe evacuations need not be hundreds of miles away, and emergency officials urged Florida residents to move only several miles to a higher elevation or wind-proofed shelter.

For their part, nursing home providers are implementing their emergency plans and protocols to protect those in their care, ensuring that all necessary precautions, including emergency supplies and power provisions, are in place, Reed said.

AHCA cancels annual conference

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) announced the cancellation of its annual convention due to the imminent threat of Hurricane Milton. In a late Saturday communication to attendees, AHCA leadership, including Chair Phil Scalo, President and CEO Mark Parkinson and incoming President and CEO Clif Porter, expressed their deep disappointment but emphasized that safety was their top priority. 

While events scheduled for Sunday did proceed as planned, all other programming set to run through October 9 was canceled.

The decision was based on information from Saturday, including a state of emergency declaration by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for Orange County, the location for the AHCA’s conference, AHCA officials said.

“Our intent was that this conference would be an acknowledgement of our past and a celebration of the future,” read the communication from AHCA/NCAL leadership. “We are sorry that we can’t do that this week in Orlando. But none of this diminishes what we have all done together and will continue to do together in the future.”

Hurricane Milton: Life threatening

Forecasters warn that at landfall, Hurricane Milton could cause deadly hazards along portions of Florida’s coast.

Heavy rainfall will affect various regions of Florida starting Monday, with additional rain anticipated from Tuesday through Wednesday night. The Florida Peninsula and Keys could receive between 5 to 10 inches of rain, with some areas possibly seeing totals of up to 15 inches.

Additionally, the risk of life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds is increasing for parts of Florida’s west coast, beginning late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Water levels could rise to 8 to 12 feet in coastal regions, including Tampa Bay.

And while several Florida counties have ordered evacuations so far, authorities said the state should expect more evacuation orders throughout the day. 

“You have an opportunity today to do what you need to do to execute this plan,” DeSantis said. “But time is going to start running out very, very soon.”

And while nursing home providers are working their plans on the ground, FHCA’s emergency response team is mobilized and working with state officials and utility partners to provide ongoing updates and resources through daily long-term care emergency prep partner briefings and digital channels, Reed said.

“We extend our deepest gratitude to our dedicated long-term caregivers, many of whom are already reeling from the effects of Helene,” he said. “Rest assured, we are ready to face this storm together.”