Are Aging Parents and Elders Prepared for Extreme Weather--Blizzards, Hurricanes, the Unexpected?

Over 60 million people were under blizzard, winter storm or freezing rain warnings this weekend.  How many were elderly?

"We're in the age of extreme weather," NYC Mayor de Blasio declared on TV Sunday, suggesting we need to be ready for future weather events. Since winter storm Jonas has dominated the news this weekend, bringing record and near-record snow to the northeast urban corridor, I'm wondering--

--How many of the 60+million people in its path are old; how many of them live independently; and how many live far from their adult children? The weather and the 11,600+ flights cancelled since Friday, can understandably cause stress for adult children who have elders they care about....perhaps even more concern if elderly parents live far away and are in harm's way. Indeed, I remember the helpless feeling when I was in that situation years ago.

    10 suggestions follow that alleviate--or at least lessen--
concern for elders' safety

1.  Contact them of course
2.  Keep your parents' neighbors' cell phone numbers in a handy place. In the event parents don't live near, neighbors can check on them if necessary.They may need to monitor and let you know if mom decides to go for a walk or shovel snow when she shouldn't.
3.  Be as certain as possible, without being condescending or bossy of course, that aging parents are prepared for this "age of extreme weather." (Personally check or put on your to-do list to check--or take care of--the following ahead of time)

If the Electricity Goes Out--                                                   
4.  Cell phones--at the ready--may be the only way to maintain contact when land lines are down. Make certain elders are comfortable using their fully-charged phones.
5.  Suggest /nicely remind that they keep their phone fully charged in case of power outages. (Elders are usually not as compulsive as younger people about keeping their phones charged.)
          Gift elders with the inexpensive, small, portable charger/external back-up battery pack for their cell phone--making certain they understand how easily the charger's input and output works. (Isn't a reserve power source insurance?)

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