A week after nearly 200 patients were evacuated from the Genesis Saint Joseph's Center assisted living facility in Trumbull, News 12 has learned additional information on what caused that incident.

State officials say they were told there had been a positive test of legionella bacteria in the facility's water system.

That discovery prompted residents to be removed and placed at other facilities.

Families described the process as chaotic and spent hours searching for loved ones.

Officials tell News 12 part of the confusion was that some residents did not give staff permission to contact their families ahead of time or the contact information provided might not have been fully updated. They add in some cases, only the first person on the list was contact, not everyone listed.

They say the request for available beds went out as soon as possible.

"Because of the time of day and the beds that were available, and we had to get people out quickly, some people went further than others and further than we would like. We're hoping this is a short-term measure, so people can return to their community of origin and be back with their friends and close to their family members again," says Mairead Painter, the Connecticut state long-term care ombudsman.

The state Department of Health is overseeing the cleanup of the building and will have to approve any return by residents. They are also in charge of addressing the facility's water issues, including treating and disinfecting the water system.

There is currently no timeline for that process.