KISSIMMEE, Fla. – A mandatory evacuation is in place for Good Samaritan Society-Kissimmee Village, forcing more than 1,000 seniors out of their homes due to Hurricane Dorian.
- Dorian prompts mandatory evacuation for retirement community
- More than 1,000 seniors to leave Good Samaritan Society-Kissimmee Village
- Community was hit hard during Hurricane Irma in 2017
Ambulance fleets transported at least 17 seniors under "24/7 care" out of a low lying community in Kissimmee, partly in a floodway.
"We want everyone to be safe,” said Aaron Woods, a spokesperson for Good Samaritan Society Kissimmee Village.
With 1,500 residents, the Kissimmee Village is Good Samaritan Society’s largest campus nationwide. This community of elderly people was hit hard during Hurricane Irma as it got severely flooded. Back in 2017 the water levels for Shingle Creek-- Good Samaritan’s neighbor were at an all-time high.
This is why the county is working on preventative measures this time around.
"We are working with Orange County on a basin study," Osceola County Manager Don Fisher said. "We’re funding one as well in Osceola to analyze Shingle Creek itself plus working with the Orange County Mayor Demings and Byron Brooks with his staff about discharge. They release waters north of us and it heads south. And they will be working with us to regulate that flow so we don’t get inundated from waters."
The skilled nursing residents, those seniors who need care around the clock will be going to Deland. Ambulances transported them to Volusia County because Good Samaritan has a sister facility there with a newly built wing and away from a flood zone.
Not just skilled nursing residents but assisted living folks and independent seniors are being evacuated as well. Sheriff Russ Gibson said a crew of deputies will be patrolling the campus to ensure that these homes won’t be left unprotected. “We’re taking all these precautions to preserve life and when you see this as an opportunity for your ill-gotten game," Gibson said. "There is zero tolerance."
Good Samaritan said they partnered up with Sanford Health this year. And that these combined resources are helping them create a world class emergency management organization. “We’re taking extra care to mitigate any potential damage but our highest value is the safety and security of our residents and our employees,” Woods said. "That comes first."
Good Samaritan tenants must be evacuated by noon on Monday. Able bodied evacuees that don’t have a place to go will be housed at the St. Cloud Senior Center. Osceola County is opening that shelter for Good Samaritan residents only and NOT the general public.