- 843 nursing home residents in Louisiana were transferred to a dingy warehouse as Ida hit the state.
- Four people died and dozens were hospitalized as the warehouse had no AC and overflowing toilets.
- The Louisiana Dept. of Public Health rescued them and is investigating how they were placed there.
More than 840 nursing home residents in Louisiana were transferred to a warehouse as Hurricane Ida tore through the state, and four died, while others languished with no air conditioning and overflowing toilets, according to The Advocate.
Two nurses working inside the Tangipahoa Parish spoke to the outlet and shared photos of elderly people crowded on mattresses on the floor. Some residents reportedly screamed for help, and others were reportedly stuck wearing diapers with feces in them, worried about COVID-19 in the hot, overcrowded facility.
—Andrea Gallo (@aegallo) September 3, 2021
According to The Advocate, seven nursing homes transferred patients to the warehouse as Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana. In the warehouse, four nursing home residents died, and dozens were hospitalized.
“We’re really concerned, we’re really upset and we’re really focused on making sure that all of these residents are moved to safe places where they can get adequate access to essential services,” Aly Neel, a spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Health, told the Advocate. “We will be taking action against these nursing facilities, and will be making appropriate referrals to law enforcement.”
The Louisiana Department of Health rescued the over 800 residents on Thursday, and announced that they were opening an investigation into the warehouse and the nursing homes.
According to WAFB 9, LDH officials tried to inspect that facility on August 27 but were expelled from the site.