What Florida requires
Under Rule 59A-36.025 of the Florida Administrative Code, every assisted living facility must have an alternate power source and fuel to keep ambient temperatures at or below 81°F for at least 96 hours after a power outage [1]. Facilities with 16 or fewer beds must store 48 hours of fuel on site; those with 17 or more beds, 72 hours. Facilities must also have a plan to get the remaining fuel during a declared emergency. Piped natural gas can count as an onsite fuel source.
Questions to ask
- Where is the generator, and may I see it?
- What does it power: just cooling for a common area, or residents' rooms too? Elevators? Refrigeration for medications?
- How often is it tested, and when was the last full test?
- What's the evacuation plan? Where do residents go, and how do they get there?
- How will you contact families before, during, and after a storm?
- How do you handle residents who use oxygen or other powered medical equipment?
- What happened here during the last major storm?
Your family's plan
Even with a good facility plan, decide in advance who in the family is the point of contact, keep a current medication list and copies of key documents, and know whether Mom would stay or come to you.