NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Officials in New Orleans say they are thoroughly inspecting senior living apartments in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida after finding people living in buildings without working generators, trapping residents in wheelchairs in dark, sweltering upper floors. Mayor LaToya Cantrell says five people died in the private buildings Sunday and hundreds have already been evacuated. The coroner’s office is investigating whether the deaths will be attributed to the hurricane, which struck land nine days before. New Orleans City Council member Kristin Palmer says management of some of the buildings left the seniors to fend for themselves since the facilities were labeled independent living. She says that’s wrong, especially with residents who are in wheelchairs and stuck on higher floors.
