Residents sit outside of St. Martin Manor, independent living apartments for seniors in New Orleans’ 7th Ward, on Aug. 26, 2025. Credit: (Photo by Christiana Botic/Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report for America)
A New Orleans law aimed at boosting disaster planning at certain senior housing facilities has mixed results four years after the hurricane that prompted it.
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Passed about two months after Hurricane Ida struck New Orleans in late August 2021, the law requires the dozens of independent living facilities in the city to obtain an annual license, develop emergency plans and coordinate disaster responses with city officials. During the extended citywide blackout after Ida, many of these facilities were abandoned by staff, forcing residents to fend for themselves in darkness and broiling heat. At least eight people died from excessive heat and other health issues at the city’s independent living facilities in the days after the storm.
Unlike nursing homes and assisted-living apartments, independent living facilities aren’t regulated by the state or required to have on-site staff or backup generators. Independent living facilities are generally more focused on socialization than on daily care or medical needs…