Eight people were killed and another 115 had to be evacuated today from a nursing home in the city of Hollywood, north of Miami, in a case related to the loss of electricity in the facilities due to Hurricane Irma.
Another 80 people were evacuated hours later from another senior center in North Miami Beach that faces the same problems of electricity supply, and hence air conditioning, when temperatures reach 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief said at a press conference that three people were killed at the Hollywood Hills Rehabilitation Center where the incident occurred, and three others were already at the nearby Memorial Regional Hospital where they were moved.
During the afternoon, police authorities reported the deaths of two other people in the hospital.
Police are currently conducting a “criminal investigation” into the incident, which was probably caused by inhaling carbon monoxide emitted by an electric generator or by the heat registered as a result of the interruption in the electricity supply, following Irma’s step for South Florida last weekend.
Hollywood Police Chief Tomas Sánchez told the media that in addition to conducting a criminal investigation into the facts, they are reviewing the status of 42 other nursing homes in the city to check the status of their patients.
This review led to the evacuation of the North Miami Beach Senior Center in Miami-Dade County.
The dead were identified by Broward County officials as Estella Hendricks, 71; Gail Nova, 70 (previously reported to have 71); Carolyn Eatherly, 78; Bobby Owens, 84; Manuel Mario Medieta, 96; Miguel Antonio Franco, 92; Betty Hibbard, 84; and Albertina Vega, 99.
It is still unknown how long the care center for the elderly was without power before this morning made an emergency call.
The images released Wednesday morning by the media showed elderly people in wheelchairs outside the facilities of the old-age care facility, adjacent to Larkin Community Hospital, which also had to be evacuated.
An operator works to repair the air conditioners, while waiting for the technical assistance of Florida Power Light (FPL) from time to time, picked up Local 10 News channel.
The provisional death toll from Hurricane Irma is as high as 30 in the United States (Florida, Georgia and South Carolina).
The Weather Channel reports an eventual count of 47 fatalities and billions of property damage losses from the Caribbean to the United States.
In Florida alone, authorities said Tuesday that about $ 250 million had been spent on recovery and cleaning, although the final cost will take months in determinars
