Charleston Senior AdvisorDo Charleston assisted living facilities have to plan for hurricanes?
Yes. Regulation 60-84, Section 1401, requires every CRCF to write an emergency and disaster evacuation plan in consultation with its county emergency preparedness agency, submit it to DPH before it is first licensed, review it every year, rehearse it with staff at least annually, and let any resident or responsible party inspect it on request.
The plan must also be updated whenever the facility applies to add beds. Staff and volunteers must know their part in it, and new employees are trained on emergency procedures and disaster preparedness within their first 24 hours (Section 504). Because the plan is open to residents and families, asking to read it is a normal request, not a favor.
Why is Charleston County treated differently from Berkeley and Dorchester?
For facilities in Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton, Horry, Jasper and Georgetown counties, Section 1401.B.1.c requires at least one sheltering facility located outside those six coastal counties; Berkeley and Dorchester counties are not on the list, so a Summerville or Goose Creek building is not bound by that particular requirement.
In practice that means a West Ashley, James Island or Mount Pleasant community must have a signed agreement with a receiving facility farther inland, so residents are not evacuated from one storm-surge county into another. A Summerville or Moncks Corner building still needs a full plan, sheltering agreement and transport plan; it simply is not required by this rule to look beyond the coast. On DPH's current data, 42 of the area's 56 senior-serving CRCFs are in Charleston County and so fall under the out-of-region sheltering rule; the other 14 are in Berkeley or Dorchester County.
What has to be in the evacuation plan?
Three parts: a sheltering plan, a transportation plan and a staffing plan for the residents who are moved (Regulation 60-84, Section 1401.B).
The sheltering plan lists licensed beds and average occupancy, the receiving facility's name, address and phone, and a letter of agreement signed by that facility stating how many residents it can take, how they will sleep, eat and get their medications, and how relocated staff will be accommodated; the letter must be renewed at least every three years. The transportation plan covers how many and what kind of vehicles, how and when they are obtained, who drives, how medical support, food, water and medications travel with residents, the estimated time to move everyone, and primary and secondary routes. The staffing plan says how care continues at the shelter and how staff get there.
What must a facility report to DPH during an evacuation?
It must report any natural disaster that displaces residents or threatens their safety to DPH immediately by phone or email, with a full written report within 72 hours (Section 602.B), and by the next workday it must tell DPH in writing which residents were relocated and the name, address and phone of each sheltering facility (Section 606).
Receiving facilities may temporarily exceed their licensed capacity to shelter evacuees, as long as their own residents' health and safety are not compromised. Every CRCF must also have a written plan to keep essential services going through power outages, water shortages and storm-related staff absences (Section 1403), which is the part that matters most when a storm passes but the power stays out.
What about nursing homes, and what should families ask?
Certified nursing homes must also meet the federal emergency preparedness rule at 42 CFR 483.73, which requires a risk-based emergency plan, written policies, a communication plan, staff training and drills, and emergency and standby power; on a tour, ask where residents went in the last evacuation order and how families were told.
Useful questions for any Lowcountry building: Which facility is named in your sheltering agreement, and when was it signed? Is it outside the coastal counties? Which vehicles are under contract, including wheelchair-accessible ones? How do medications, oxygen and records travel? How will we be notified, and how quickly? Does the building have a generator, and what does it power? Write the answers down; they belong in the same folder as the admission agreement.
Side by side
| Regulation 60-84 requires | Regulation 60-84 does not require | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | A written evacuation plan made with county emergency management | Families to arrange their own evacuation |
| Shelter | A signed sheltering agreement renewed at least every three years | A shelter in a specific city |
| Coastal rule | An out-of-region shelter for Charleston County facilities | The same rule for Berkeley or Dorchester |
| Reporting | Immediate notice to DPH and a list of relocated residents | Residents to take part in drills |
Sources: S.C. Code Regs. 60-84, DPH Healthcare Quality, SCDHHS bulletins and charts, CareScout, CMS and VA rate tables, as cited in each answer. See our editorial standards.
