Severe storms throughout the Southeast United States resulted in a Chattanooga-area tornado causing significant damage to two Morning Pointe Senior Living buildings: Morning Pointe of Chattanooga at Shallowford, 7719 Shallowford Road, and the The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence Chattanooga, 7620 Shallowford Road. As a result, these two facilities are temporarily uninhabitable.
Morning Pointe officials and staff worked throughout the night to identify all residents, assess medical conditions, and facilitate an evacuation of both buildings.
All residents were accounted for and no deaths or major injuries were reported, though some residents were transported to a local hospital for evaluation. Through a coordinated effort with local authorities, all residents at impacted facilities have been relocated to alternate locations. Additionally, all employees – working or on-site – were accounted for, and reported no injuries. No other Morning Pointe location in the Chattanooga area was significantly impacted.
Greg A. Vital, president of Morning Pointe Senior Living, said, “We are deeply shocked by the overnight weather and storm events that hit the Tennessee Valley. Upon realization of the tornado’s impact, our priority was the evacuation of residents. Management quickly assessed the damage to our communities and moved residents to two local hotels. Clinical staff are currently working with families to prioritize medicine schedules and health needs while continuing to practice COVID-19 protocols. The whole Morning Pointe organization is grateful to the Hamilton County Emergency Medical response teams, and the Chattanooga Fire and Police departments, for helping us limit the fallout from this disaster.”
The relocation of residents throughout the night was boosted by Chattanooga’s mass transit system, CARTA, and Elmcroft Senior Living.
“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.
Morning Pointe will continue to assess the full extent of the damage and will provide an update at the appropriate time. No estimate of the damage cost has been calculated at this time. For clinical questions, please contact the executive director of Morning Pointe of Chattanooga at 423-296-0097 or the executive director for The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence at 423-551-4190.
Independent Healthcare Properties is the developer, owner, and manager of 35 Morning Pointe Senior Living and The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Memory Care Center of Excellence communities in five southeastern states. IHP was founded in 1996 by Chattanooga healthcare entrepreneurs, Greg A. Vital and J. Franklin Farrow. For more information, please visit www.morningpointe.com.