Following Hurricane Irma in 2017, then Governor Rick Scott issued a new rule regarding the preparedness of both nursing homes and assisted living communities in Florida in the event of a hurricane or other natural disaster. Scott was prompted to ratify existing emergency preparedness laws after 12 residents at Hollywood Hills nursing home died of heat exposure following a power outage caused by Hurricane Irma. The new regulations require all nursing homes and assisted living communities to have a backup generator and detailed Evacuation and Emergency Plan (EEP) in the event of a hurricane.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the 2021 hurricane season is likely to produce three to five major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher.)

With that said, we feel it’s important to ensure our community members, their families, and prospective residents that we take the safety and well-being of our residents very seriously. We have a backup generator and an Evacuation and Emergency Plan in place. Our EEP has been approved by Martin County and documentation of our compliance with the regulations implemented by Rick Scott are on file at the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration.

At Grand Oaks of Palm City , we take pride in knowing that our community meets or exceeds all state and federal emergency preparedness standards.

Additional safety measures that we have implemented include:

• Building erected with all CBS construction
• Not located in a flood or evacuation zone
• Impact windows that are 100% hurricane proof
• Emergency call systems in each room
• 24-hour security system

Our residents’ safety, hurricane preparedness, and emergency evacuation planning is something we take very seriously at Grand Oaks of Palm City.

For more information about our emergency preparedness plan, please call (772) 529-6000.