Has anyone thought about a severe weather plan for a bedridden family member?

What a great question... just the other night I was setting there thinking about high winds or tornadoes... my charges are ambulatory, and it would be a shove and hussle, but would get them in the hallway....enough blankets and stuff around the house within easy reaching distance.....if they were hurt in this process, it would still be better than leaving them vulnerable in their beds at night.....

Is there any way you can get him into a wheelchair? That will go through doorways, down a step if you're strong enough to not let go and would go down a ramp.

Maryanne, definitely talk to your local fire department. They may have some ideas for strapping him in and dragging him to a nearby closet or other inner room without windows.

I think that would work just fine. Maybe strap a couple of bungie cords round him so you can pull up the sides of the matress like a boat. I'd like to day tie a rope through the end of the matress and pull him on that but you would have to make a hole through the end of the matress to secure the rope. Send a note to the Capt he can fix anything!!!!

Thank you for your suggestions..Im here with him all day and night..i was just trying to figure out a quick way to get him to safety. the hospital bed is on wheels but way too wide to fit through a household door. my thought was maybe slide him onto a mattress on the floor and pull him to shelter..just wondered if someone had a gismo of some kind to make this fast and easier.

I guess I was thinking this person was bedridden and mainly alone. Does this person have a 24-hour caregiver? If so, that person could do that. Otherwise, they're just basically sitting ducks in a storm.

Geo neighbours who are young and strong enough have wives and children and they would be that person's first priority so running to someone else's aid wouldn't be a priority at all - family comes first. If the person is bedridden I suggest a hospital type bed on wheels you can drag to a safe spot in the house, perhaps installing a ramp down to the basement.

If they're bedridden, I can't think that they could get to a safe place on their own. Can you find someone who is EXTREMELY close who could drag the person quickly to safety? You and I know how fast they come up so that's why I'm thinking it has to be someone like a neighbor, almost.

I am not a Doomsday Prepper by any means. But I have made reasonable preparations for a catastrophie. We do have a generator and enough propane to run for a number of days. All kinds of food options and bottled water. We also have a 72 hour bag packed and after all those people got stuck on the roads in Georgia a few months ago I am also preparing 24 hour packs for the cars. One thing many people fail to include is a supply of essential medications. I take quite a few so asked my PCP if she would be willing to prescribe a seperate one month supply and she willingly agreed. Of course the insurance won't pay for extras but as mine are all generics it only cost about $25 so I can rotate the extra and keep them fresh.. Naturally if you are caring for a bed ridden elder you will need to plan for. that eventuality. If you are warned of disaster plan ahead for a safe place to move your elder and get out before the crowd
I also have a little box with a four day supply of medications that can quickly be slipped into my purse.in case of an evacuation.
Also remember that it will take quite a while for stores to restock their shelves when you are able to return home

People who live in cities (as I did for many years) give no thought to being prepared as they think there will always be heat, light and so on. My mother is now in a nursing home but I live alone out in the country and I'm very conscious of being prepared.

I have a huge generator wired into the house, cell phone charged up, truck always gassed up, extra gas for both, flashlights, battery operated radio, the house is always very well stocked and I'm having a wood stove installed this year.

Although I have a well, I also keep stores of water for an emergency. I think the Doomsday theory is just so much hype (fear mongering if you will) but wherever you live and whatever your circumstances some degree of preparedness for, say, a prolonged power outage is essential. Remember, in a power outage gas pumps and ATMs won't work and grocery stores will be quickly stripped.

When mom was alive (bedridden for 13 years), that was my greatest fears. We have typhoons - which usually means power outages. We had one supertyphoon hit us. We live in a low lying area..below the cliffline. So, the rain from the typhoon hit us from the main road and the newly made waterfall from the up the cliff. When our house started filling up with water, and the windows rattling crazily, we dragged mom's hospital bed from the livingroom and crammed it into the very narrow hallway. We cranked up the bed as high as we could. The bathroom door was rattling from the winds. So, we tied the door handle to another bedroom's door handle so that the door doesn't fly open.

I climbed on top of the exercise bike and sat there the whole night with my feet above. The water rose high but it didn't go pass the bed's height limit. After the typhoon passed, the island was devastated. Because mom needed power for her air mattress & suction machine, we finally found one of the last places with some generator. What a rip-off. We paid $2000 for it. (We've bought generators after that, and it rarely goes over $600.00!) For us, the hospital bed (cranking it up) and the generator is a necessity.

P.S... we couldn't take mom to the hospital as shelter because they were already full with patients. The pregnant women had to go there and stayed in the hallways.

Thanks pstegman, I should have mentioned we live in an area that does not get hurricanes. We are in a place that Tornados form though. We have been blessed and nothing has happened to our home in several years.

If you mean Hurricanes, you need an evacuation plan and should work with your 911 service so they are aware of the bedridden patient. Find out if they should be moved to a hospital or other storm shelter nearby. Also talk to your MD about carrying copies of medical records and Rx info.

Ofcoarse I pray..:)