Allison Walker, Your Home

"A little anxious, and getting comforted by a phone call," was how Home Instead Senior Care in Melbourne described its nearly 80 senior clients before and during Tropical Storm Fay.

Since co-owner Marge Thompson has only been in Florida since December, Fay was the biggest storm she has faced.

Like Carmen Dav-Beaulieu, a caregiver, they realized getting to the seniors in need was nearly impossible during the worst of the storm, and the subsequent flooding. So Thompson said they would have to beef up use of the next best thing.

"Now we know if a storm is to come this way, there needs to be at least four or five people on the phones, because they were ringing so often," Thompson said.

Carmen admitted knowing she is not alone during a storm helps. She was in Florida during the hurricanes in 2004, so before her lake and parking lot filled with water, she did things differently.

"I just sort of have a friend in Palm Bay, and I called him up and I said, 'If it gets really bad, can I come down and stay with you?'" Carmen told News 13.

That leads to one of 10 things Home Instead Senior Care and the Federal Emergency Management Acency suggest you have: A "Get up and Go" kit -- a backpack with your essentials, plus three days' worth of nonperishables and water, even a blanket.

10 Ways to Help Seniors Prepare for Disaster

According to FEMA and Home Instead Senior Care:

1. Tune in. Stay abreast of what's going on in your area through your local radio or television. Know where to get information during an emergency, either through the local television, radio or NOAA weather radio. Make sure that a senior who is hearing or vision impaired has the proper tools to be notified of a disaster.
    
2. Take stock. Decide what your senior can or cannot do in the event of a natural disaster. Make a list of what would be needed for that individual if a disaster occurred. For example: If your loved one is wheelchair-bound, where would that individual go to take shelter, and how would that person get out if evacuation was ordered? Make sure you prepare for whatever disaster could hit the area.
    
3. To go, or to stay? When deciding to evacuate, older adults should go sooner rather than later. By waiting too long, they may be unable to leave if they require assistance from others.
    
4. Make a plan. Schedule a family meeting to develop a plan of action. Include in your plan key people such as neighbors, friends, relatives and professional caregivers who could help. 
    
5. More than one way out. Like all families and households, seniors should develop at least two escape routes -- one out of their home in case of a fire when they need to get out of the home quickly, and out of the area in case they need to evacuate their community. The local Emergency Management Office can tell you escape routes out of the community.
    
6. Meet up. Designate a place to meet other relatives or key support network people outside the house, as well as a second location outside the neighborhood, such as a school or church. Practice the plan at least twice a year. This is important in case you get separated. Select long-distance family or friends to call in case of major disaster or evacuation, where a local meeting place is not possible, such as what happened after Hurricane Katrina.
    
7. Get up and Go Kit. Have an easy-to-carry backpack including three days' worth of nonperishable food and water, with an additional four days of food and water readily accessible at home. Have at least one gallon of water per person per day. Bottled water may be easier to store and carry. Refresh and replace your supplies at least twice a year, and don't forget the blanket and paper products such as toilet paper.
    
8. Pack extras and copies. Have at least a one-month supply of medication on hand at all times. Make ready other important documents in a waterproof protector including copies of prescriptions, car title registration and driver's license, insurance documents and bank account numbers, and a spare checkbook. Also, take extra eyeglasses and hearing aid batteries. Label every piece of important equipment or personal item in case they are lost.
    
9. Compile a contact list. Include people on a senior's support network, as well as doctors and other important health care professionals.
    
10. Professional help. Call a professional caregiver if you or your loved one needs extra help. If a senior needs assistance and you cannot be there, contact Home Instead Senior Care, or find a Home Instead Senior Care office nearest your loved one by logging on to homeinstead.com.

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