According to county officials, two people have overdosed at emergency shelters set up for Hurricane Irma evacuees in Palm Beach County.
It is still unclear exactly where the overdoses occurred. Reporters staying at the Palm Beach County Emergency Operations Center were told firefighters were working to tally up the total number of overdoses, but could confirm at least two incidents.
Additionally, sources who work for the county say shelters are receiving an influx of individuals from sober homes.
“Since sober homes are unlicensed and unregulated in the state of Florida, they are not required to notify shelters when they drop off recovering addicts,” said State Attorney Dave Aronberg.
Delray Beach has a high concentration of sober homes in the area, and sources working for the county say that is where the majority of individuals living in sober homes are seeking shelter.
Aronberg says shelters are aware of the issue, and have been equipped with extra Narcan.
“If you are staying at a shelter, do not be alarmed,” Aronberg told Contact 5 Investigator Merris Badcock. “These shelters are very well run, and have a lot of law enforcement on site.”
