A New Orleans City Council committee voted unanimously yesterday to advance an ordinance that would require senior living facilities to meet several requirements in anticipation of emergencies.
The ordinance will now go before the full council for a vote.
The ordinance was drafted in the days after Hurricane Ida when multiple facilities in New Orleans were evacuated after being deemed “unfit” to live in. In total, five residents died.
Under the proposed ordinance, more than 70 facilities would have to obtain a license from the city and follow rules to include creating an annual evacuation plan and providing a copy to the New Orleans Health Department, ensuring a point of contact is on site at all times during the duration of an emergency and providing daily updates to the Mayor’s Office of Homeland Security.
