Prepare for a Weather Emergency

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.

How to Prepare

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
2. Make a plan
3. Be informed

Get a Kit

Basic Disaster Supplies

FEMA recommend the following basic disaster supplies kit:

A basic emergency supply kit could include the following recommended items (download the list here):

Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
Flashlight and extra batteries
First aid kit
Whistle to signal for help
Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
Manual can opener for food
Local maps
Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger

Supplies for Older Adults

FEMA also recommends the following for older adults:

Medications and Medical Supplies

If you take medicine or use a medical treatment on a daily basis, be sure you have what you need to make it on your own for at least a week, maybe longer.
Keep written copies of your prescriptions, over-the-counter medications and orders for medical equipment, including dosage, treatment and allergy information in your emergency kit. Also consider keeping electronic copies of this information on a flash drive. This could be useful for others even if you don’t personally use a computer often.
If you are able to obtain an emergency supply of prescription medications or consumable medical supplies, be sure to establish a plan for rotating your supply so it remains up-to-date.
If you can’t easily obtain a emergency supplies, talk to your pharmacist or doctor about what else you can do to prepare.
If you are unable to obtain an emergency supply, be sure to always fill prescriptions on the first day you become eligible for a refill, rather than waiting until the day you run out.
If you undergo routine treatments administered by a clinic or hospital or if you receive regular services such as home health care, treatment or transportation, talk to your service provider about their emergency plans. Work with them to identify back-up service providers and incorporate them into your personal support network.
Consider other personal needs such as eyeglasses, hearing aids and hearing aid batteries, wheelchair batteries and oxygen.

Emergency Documents

Include copies of important documents in your emergency supply kits such as family records, medical records, wills, deeds, social security number, charge and bank accounts information and tax records.
Have copies of your medical insurance and Medicare cards readily available.
Get copies and maintain electronic versions of health records from doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and other sources and store them, for personal reference. HHS provides an online tool intended to help people locate and access their electronic health records from a variety of sources. http://healthit.gov/bluebutton
Keep a list of the style and serial number of medical devices or other life-sustaining devices. Include operating information and instructions.
Make sure that a friend or family member has copies of these documents.
Include the names and contact information of your support network, as well as your medical providers.
If you have a communication disability, make sure your emergency information notes the best way to communicate with you.
Keep these documents in a water proof container for quick and easy access.

Maintaining your Emergency Kit

Refresh your kit periodically, including replacing food and water every six months.

Make an Emergency Plan

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:

Create a Personal Support Network in Case of a Weather Emergency

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.

Develop a Family Communication Plan

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.

Evacuating or Sheltering in Place

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.

Fire Safety

Plan two ways out of every room in case of fire. Secure or remove objects that may fall or block the exit path.

Remember Your Loved One's Pets!

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."

Be Informed

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:

Learn about thunderstorms and lightning, hurricanes, and floods
Additional resources are available through the Virginia Department of Emergency Services.

Kansas

Learn about tornadoes, floods, and thunderstorms and lightning
Additional resources are available through KSReady.gov.

Specific Types of Emergencies

FEMA offers specific advice for a number of emergencies, including

How to Prepare for Cold Winter Weather

Alerts Through Mobile App

Code Red is a alert system that will send weather alerts to your mobile phone.

How Care is There Can Help

Your Care is There Lifestyle Coordinator lives near your loved one, knows them well, and can:

Familiarize you and your loved one with the types of weather emergencies that occur where they live, and the suggested preparation steps
Familiarize you and your loved one with the disaster plans of their senior living community, if they live in one
Help your loved one assemble an emergency kit and keep it maintained
Work with pharmacists and specialty providers (oxygen, telehealth monitors, personal care or home health aides, etc.) to arrange backup supplies and plans
Store emergency documents online for easy preservation and retrieval Help your loved one create a personal support network in case of a weather emergency
Check on your loved one during an emergency, resolve any problems, and communicate their well-being to you and other loved ones
Help your family create a family communication plan Utilize our locations in the Mid-atlantic region (Virginia) and the Midwest (Kansas) to keep communication open even during local power outages

Resources for Preparing for a Weather Emergency or Disaster

National: FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)