Thousands of Elder Care Homes at Heightened Risk of Wildfire, KQED Finds

Published: Aug. 17, 2020, 9:20 a.m.

b"A new KQED investigation finds that more than a third of long-term senior care facilities are at heightened risk for wildfires. Many aren't ready for emergencies.\\xa0 That risk will continue to grow as California\\u2019s population ages. Officials estimate that there will be 8.6 million residents over the age of 65 a decade from now and many of them will live in one of the 10,000 long-term care homes across the state. The coronavirus pandemic has slowed down state efforts to prepare for wildfire emergencies -- efforts many say were insufficient. We\\u2019ll hear about KQED\\u2019s investigation."