As the latest onslaught of extreme weather affects much of the U.S., Senate Democrats on Thursday released an investigation finding shortcomings in long-term care facilities’ emergency preparedness. The report, by the majority staff of the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Special Committee on Aging, examined the impact of the February 2021 winter storm that caused blackouts across Texas. The report cites MarketWatch reporting on the aftermath of that storm, finding that residents had little defense against frigid temperatures in some nursing homes and assisted-living facilities that lacked backup power for their heating systems.
Nearly half of the 1,200 nursing homes in Texas reported power or water outages, evacuations or other emergencies to state regulators during the 2021 storm, which struck in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the committees’ investigation found. At least 1,400 nursing-home and assisted-living residents were evacuated, and two residents died, according to the report. Since 2018, extreme weather events in 17 states have forced long-term-care facility evacuations or led to resident injuries and deaths, the report said. “This report should serve as a warning sign — as we experience more frequent and catastrophic climate disasters, long-term care facilities must be better prepared to protect residents living there,” Sen. Bob Casey, the Pennsylvania Democrat who chairs the Senate Special Committee on Aging, said in a stat …