'Left in the dark': Families say they weren't notified during Aviata evacuation

BRADENTON, Fla. — Dorene Caron has been her younger brother's voice for most of his life. As his caretaker and advocate, she visits him four times a day at Aviata at Bradenton Villas, where he has lived for the past seven years.

"He's blind. He cannot talk. He cannot speak for himself. He cannot eat. He doesn't walk. He has to be fed," Caron said.

WATCH: 'Left in the dark': Families say they weren't notified during Aviata evacuation

So when part of the facility's roof collapsed Saturday night, forcing the evacuation of all 157 residents, Caron says she was left completely in the dark.

"All of a sudden I saw it on the Facebook," she said. She had left the facility just two hours before the collapse.

Hours of searching

On scene Saturday night, Manatee County Emergency Management told Tampa Bay 28 that evacuated residents would be staying temporarily in sister facilities of Aviata or with family members.

But Caron says as family, she wasn't notified.

"I kept trying to call to find out what are you going to do? Is everybody getting evacuated? Couldn't get a hold of anybody. My biggest thing is I couldn't get a hold of anybody," Caron said. "Finally got somebody, what do you say, about 8 o'clock that night. Probably 8:30 at night. Yeah. And I gave them my name, number, his room number, and they said as soon as we find something out, we will call you, let you know what's going on."

By Sunday morning at 3 a.m., the City of Bradenton says everyone had been evacuated.

"Never got a call. Never got a call, no nothing," Caron said.

By Sunday morning, Caron still didn't know where her brother was. She started calling facilities herself.

"I called at least 4 or 5 of their mother, sister, uh, nursing homes facilities, could not find him," she said.

She eventually received notifications from several sister facilities confirming he wasn't there. The uncertainty was agonizing.

"We're his support. And we've just been there for him forever. Right. So, I was scared because he didn't know what was going on. And he just is, he doesn't understand. He can't comprehend," Caron said.

WFTS

'They need to have a point person'

When asked what would need to happen in a future emergency, Caron had a clear answer.

"They need to have a point person or a group of people that will take phone numbers or put up one thing, people go to this page," she said.

Caron wasn't alone in her frustration.

"It's like that nobody heard anything until like this afternoon, or I think some people heard stuff last night," said Chris Pillz, another family member of an evacuee.

Tampa Bay 28 heard from multiple families with similar questions and concerns about the lack of communication.

WFTS

Aviata responds

In a statement posted on social media Sunday, Aviata said they "are working around the clock to support every resident, maintain continuity of care, and communicate directly with families as relocation efforts continue."

However, Aviata has not returned Tampa Bay 28's calls for comment or responded to specific questions from families.

The City of Bradenton has said Aviata, as the facility operator, is responsible for communicating with residents' families. The city's focus has shifted to evaluating the building and working with Aviata to conduct a structural engineering assessment.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Tampa Bay 28:
If you or your family member was affected by the Aviata evacuation, contact Bradenton and Manatee County Reporter Haley Zarcone at haley.zarcone@tampabay28.com