Hurricane Season and Assisted Living: 12 Questions to Ask Cape Coral Communities

For Cape Coral families, hurricane season, June 1 through November 30, isn’t an abstract worry. After Hurricane Ian in 2022, “What happens during a storm?” became one of the first questions families ask on assisted living tours. Here’s what Florida requires, and twelve questions that reveal how ready a community really is.

What Florida law requires

Florida requires every licensed assisted living facility to have a detailed emergency environmental control plan and an alternate power source, such as a generator, sufficient to keep ambient temperatures at or below 81°F for at least 96 hours after the loss of primary power. Facilities must also maintain a comprehensive emergency management plan, which covers evacuation. The rule was adopted after residents of a South Florida nursing home died in the heat following Hurricane Irma in 2017.

Meeting the minimum is a good start, but how a community meets it varies a lot. Some cool the entire building; others cool a designated area large enough for all residents.

12 questions to ask

• Does your generator run air conditioning for the whole building, or a cooled area? Where is it?
• How much fuel is kept on site, and how is more delivered during a declared emergency?
• Does the generator also power elevators, refrigeration for medications, oxygen concentrators and lighting?
• When was the generator last tested under load?
• At what point do you evacuate, and who makes that call?
• Where do residents go if you evacuate, and how are they transported?
• How are medications, records and mobility equipment moved with residents?
• How and how often will you update families during a storm?
• Can family members take a resident home before a storm, and what’s the process?
• How is staffing handled when caregivers have their own homes to protect?
• How did this building fare during Hurricane Ian, and what did you change afterward?
• Is the building in a flood or evacuation zone?

How to check a community’s plan yourself

FloridaHealthFinder, run by the Agency for Health Care Administration, lists an emergency power plan summary for licensed facilities, alongside inspection reports. Our step-by-step guide shows how to find it. You can also check your evacuation zone through Lee County’s emergency management resources.

Planning ahead as a family

• Keep a current medication list and copies of key documents in a waterproof folder.
• Make sure the community has up-to-date family contact numbers, including out-of-state relatives.
• Decide in advance whether you’ll bring your parent to your home or let them shelter with the community.
• If your loved one lives at home, consider registering with the county’s special needs shelter program before the season begins.

Hurricane readiness is one of the things we look at for every community we suggest in Cape Coral, Fort Myers and North Fort Myers.