130 residents evacuated from two Chattanooga senior living facilities, placed in area hotels

Apr. 13--About 130 residents of two Chattanooga senior care facilities which were damaged by the tornado on Sunday night were transported to a pair of local hotels.

Greg Vital, president of Morning Pointe Senior Living, said that significant damage occurred to Morning Pointe of Chattanooga at Shallowford, 7719 Shallowford Road, and The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer's Center of Excellence Chattanooga, 7620 Shallowford Road.

While no deaths or major injuries were reported, some residents were transported to a local hospital for evaluation, he said.

Other residents have been taken to the Embassy Suites on Shallowford Road, where they were put on two floors. Still others were transported to a Hampton Inn in Ooltewah, Vital said.

"This is a unique dilemma," he said. "There's no textbook training for this."

Vital said the residents will remain in the hotels short term until insurance and construction personnel can evaluate the damaged buildings. He said the two facilities are temporarily uninhabitable.

Morning Pointe officials and staff worked throughout the night to identify residents, assess medical conditions, and facilitate an evacuation of both buildings. All employees were accounted for and no injuries were reported, officials said.

"We were very lucky," Vital said. "It easily could have been a dramatic challenging day today."

But, he said, he was proud of the staff's effort during the evacuation.

"With COVID-19 and the tornado hitting two buildings, I realize how good of a team we have in the organization," Vital said. "I saw front line people in action last night."

He said that CARTA buses which had been out of service were summoned to help transport many of the residents between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Monday. Elmcroft Senior Living also aided, Vital said.

"The coordinated efforts of dedicated CARTA buses transporting mobile residents and Elmcroft assisting with our handicapped residents was a key contributor to a seamless relocation effort throughout the night," said Aaron Webb, chief operating officer, for Morning Pointe.

Contact Mike Pare at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.

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