The 171 residents of the Crestview Center nursing home in Middletown were safe as of Friday.
Evacuation efforts to clear the nursing home of its 171 residents situated off Toll Gate Road next to Core Creek Park in Middletown began Thursday morning and ended around 3:30 a.m. Friday when the last resident was relocated, Middletown Fire Marshal and Emergency Manager Jim McGuire said.
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Aside from firefighters and emergency medical crews from across Bucks County that responded, units from Delaware and Montgomery counties were called along with crews from Camden County and Atlantic County in New Jersey. There were well over 100 emergency responders on the scene.
“An evacuation of a facility of that size and with as complex of patients as they have takes a lot of resources,” McGuire said.
Middletown officials first became aware of a power outage at the facility following Wednesday evening’s storms. Along with firefighters, they responded and assisted in cooling the nursing home and planning for a Thursday evacuation of residents.
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The 171 residents from the nursing home were taken to “well over 20 and it could be closer to 30 facilities” in the region, McGuire said. He also stated four residents were taken to local hospitals for evaluation after they appeared to have become overwhelmed by the heat.
Medics worked to triage residents before they left the nursing home property.
McGuire said the facility did have partial power, but the lightning strike Wednesday evening is suspected of causing major issues. A generator worked but faced problems due to the high heat and the power system damage.
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