expert: coolers made it worse in nursing home where 12 died - portable swamp cooler air conditioner

Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (AP)-
In a nursing home in Florida, 12 elderly patients died of overheating after Hurricane Irma destroyed the air conditioning, but due to the use of portable equipment, the equipment was not properly ventilated, and the temperature of most of the facilities rose to a high level. an engineer testified in his testimony.
William Crawford, an air.
Air-Conditioning Engineers said in a testimony released by the state late Thursday that the rehabilitation center in Mount Hollywood did not have enough portable equipment, they ended the heating vent of most of the facilities to the outside because they did not have these equipment. The 150-
The patient's home is suing the state for restoring its licence and Crawford has been hired as an expert witness by the state.
Crawford told House lawyer Jeff Smith in a testimony last month that the nine portable air conditioners deployed after the September storm were inadequate, producing only about 10% of the cooling capacity of the household central cooler.
Authorities say the temperature at home has risen at risk in two days.
When Irma knocked off the air conditioner at home,
13. when the patient begins to die and the facility is evacuated.
According to state law, nursing homes must maintain a temperature of 81 degrees (
27 degrees Celsius)or less.
"The capacity of the field cooler is not enough to cool the space in the patient area," Crawford said . ".
The air conditioner works by taking out the heat from the enclosed space and bringing it outside.
Crawford said the heat from the portable air conditioner on the first floor was discharged to the ceiling, trapping it under the second floor.
This means that most of the heat on the first floor goes up to the second floor, and some heat goes back to the first floor.
He said conservatively, the temperature between the first holes
Floor Ceiling and at least 95 degrees on the second floor (35 Celsius)
But it can reach between 100 degrees and 110 degrees (
38 to 43 degrees Celsius).
He said that without proper ventilation, the heat generated by the operation of the air conditioner would actually increase the temperature inside the building, although he could not say exactly how hot it was.
"I can say for sure that it is more than 81 in most facilities," he said . ".
He said the temperature could get cold within 9 feet (3 meters)
Of the five portable devices on the first floor.
"It's impossible for them to keep 81 degrees on the second floor," he said, where four units were deployed.
Julie Allison, counsel for the family, said in a statement on Friday, "we will address these issues in court and we look forward to sharing all the evidence that has been obtained, the judge will consider the evidence in a fair and impartial manner.
In a letter to Congress on November, Smith wrote that during the blackout, the staff monitored the patient and no one showed any signs of heatstroke in the first two days.
He said about three. m. on Sept.
On the 13 th, several patients began to show signs of breathing and heart discomfort.
He said that the staff called the care staff for each patient and followed the appropriate agreement.
"The onset of heatstroke is unpredictable and can occur within 10 to 15 minutes," he said . ".
He said the old man was susceptible at 81 degrees.
27 degrees Celsius).
The deaths of these 12 people have been convicted of murder, but no one has been charged.
Criminal investigations are under way.