Police raid Texas nursing home where dramatic Harvey rescue took place
Police on Thursday raided a Port Arthur, Texas, nursing home where 74 elderly residents were rescued from floodwaters after Harvey hit, according to a police affidavit obtained by CBS affiliate KFDM-TV.
Jeff Rosetta, the administrative director at Lake Arthur Place, is accused of criminal negligence or recklessness for his part in injuries sustained from the incident, according to the affidavit.
"Medical documents will show some of the individuals sustained injury as a direct result of the catastrophic flooding and the evacuation finally orchestrated at the last minute by citizens," the affidavit states.
Harvey drenched Port Arthur, Texas, dropping 47.35 inches of rain in four days, according to the Weather Channel, including more than 26 inches of rain Aug. 29 alone.
On Wed., Aug. 30, the Lake Arthur Place residents were evacuated from rising floodwaters, after desperate pleas by employees.
"We need to get them out of here," an employee told KFDM-TV. "They need health care. ... We don't have much food. We've got water but we need the right foods to feed them, and medication administration."
According the affidavit, Rosetta had to be restrained with handcuffs while the evacuation was taking place.
The parent company of Lake Arthur Place, Senior Care Centers, issued a statement on Facebook a week ago which said that "unknown volunteers forcibly removed our residents" and the staff was not made aware of the evacuation. " Our team was not informed of the volunteers' authority or proper training to do so, and our caregivers, who were trying to protect our residents in the chaos of the situation, were physically restrained during the evacuation," the statement read.