Hurricane Dorian: Why power outages could pose biggest threat to elderly
As Hurricane Dorian gains strength, it could make landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm. One major concern, according to Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel, is how power outages could impact the elderly who live in the region.
“If you lose power and you're reliant on oxygen or a generator of some kind and you're elderly, your chances of staying in place would be greater than your chances of moving,” he told FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on Friday. “But if you move an elderly person, you're risking falls … disorientation. Do they have their medication? Do they have enough food and water? Where are you putting them? Where are they going?”
Many nursing homes in the state may not be prepared for a power outage. According to the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), approximately 60 percent of Florida’s nursing homes have not installed new generators that meet state-regulated standards.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday said the AHCA is going to make visits or calls to facilities that do not have updated information about generators. He also said that people can visit the agency's website, where they would be able to find information about who has generators in each county.
Florida’s generator requirements were put in place after Hurricane Irma hit in 2017.
The storm could also lead to extensive flooding, which can result in even more falls, and increase the risk of contagion and contaminated water, Siegel said.
However, Siegel also said the state has “moved in the direction of being more prepared for this than before.”
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“[There are] more freestanding emergency rooms right now in Florida than there was when Irma was there,” he said.