During a weather emergency we want to know our elderly loved ones are safe and well cared for. A weather emergency plan provides peace of mind every day and better protection when dangerous weather arrives. FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) through its Ready.gov, program, tells us how to help our older adult loved ones to prepare. Watch the short video below. Older Adults in Senior Living Communities If your loved one lives in a senior living community, find out what emergency plans that community has in place, and supplement any missing components, including having a communication plan. FEMA recommends these steps, which are outlined in their documents “Prepare for Emergencies Now: Information for Older Americans” and “Preparing Makes Sense for People with Disabilities”: 1. Get a kit FEMA recommend the following basic disaster supplies kit: A basic emergency supply kit could include the following recommended items (download the list here): FEMA also recommends the following for older adults: Medications and Medical Supplies Emergency Documents Refresh your kit periodically, including replacing food and water every six months. FEMA recommends that you plan an alternative procedure for each aspect of your daily routine, and share that plan with your family, friends, and care providers: If you anticipate that your loved one would need assistance during a disaster, make a list of family, friends and others who will be part of your plan. Talk to these people and ask them to be part of your loved one’s support network. Share each aspect of your emergency plan with everyone in the group, including a friend or relative in another area who would not be impacted by the same emergency who can help if necessary. Make sure everyone knows how your loved one plans to evacuate their home and where they will go in case of a disaster. Make sure that someone in the personal support network has an extra key to your loved one’s home and knows where they keep their emergency supplies. Practice your plan with those who have agreed to be part of the personal support network. Your family may not be together when disaster strikes - especially if you are a long distance caregiver - so plan how you will contact one another and review what you will do in different situations. Consider a plan where each family member calls, or e-mails, the same friend or relative in the event of an emergency. It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact, not in the impacted area, may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members. You may have trouble getting through, or the phone system may be down altogether, but be patient. Text messages go through more easily than phone calls, and social media is a growing source of safety status FEMA publishes a document to help you prepare your family communication plan. Depending on the nature or severity of the emergency, you will either evacuate or shelter in place. Include both these options in your plan. Learn the locations of emergency shelters several directions from your home. Plan two ways out of every room in case of fire. Secure or remove objects that may fall or block the exit path. Your loved one will be worried about their pets if there is a weather emergency. FEMA gives preparation tips in their publication: "Prepare for Emergencies Now: Information for Pet Owners." Learn about the weather emergencies that occur in the region where your loved one lives, and find out more about how to prepare for those events. For example: Virginia: Kansas FEMA offers specific advice for a number of emergencies, including Code Red is a alert system that will send weather alerts to your mobile phone. Your Care is There Lifestyle Coordinator lives near your loved one, knows them well, and can: National: FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) Virginia: Kansas:How to Prepare
2. Make a plan
3. Be informedGet a Kit
Basic Disaster Supplies
Supplies for Older Adults
Maintaining your Emergency Kit
Make an Emergency Plan
Create a Personal Support Network in Case of a Weather Emergency
Develop a Family Communication Plan
Evacuating or Sheltering in Place
Fire Safety
Remember Your Loved One's Pets!
Be Informed
Specific Types of Emergencies
Alerts Through Mobile App
How Care is There Can Help
Resources for Preparing for a Weather Emergency or Disaster
Next Steps
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