Image of male nurse pushing senior woman in a wheelchair in nursing facility


Fourteen years after Hurricane Katrina led to the deaths of at least 60 nursing home residents in and around New Orleans, local officials remain wary that nursing home operators are following best practices regarding disasters. 

A new ordinance, unanimously passed Thursday by the New Orleans City Council, will  require annual inspections of the city’s 16 nursing homes.

It also will require nursing homes to have generators that can power their facilities for at least 96 hours, nola.com reported. If the city has to help evacuate or provide shelter to residents, the nursing home will be held financially accountable. 

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, 35 residents at St. Rita Nursing Home in St. Bernard Parish drowned and the owners were charged, although ultimately acquitted. 

That memory  — along with 2012’s Hurricane Isaac knocking out power for several days and 2017’s Hurricane Irma leading to the deaths of several nursing home residents in Florida  — has led lawmakers in Gulf Coast states to push for more regulations.

The New Orleans inspections will be run by the city’s Safety and Permits Department, in addition to inspections required by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Nursing homes have until Sept. 1 to comply with the new requirements, although councilmen noted many are already up to speed.