Worry Less About Loved Ones During Storms

If you have an elderly parent living alone, you already know the feeling. The forecast turns red, the wind picks up after dark, and you find yourself wondering whether they have enough heat, whether they will answer the phone, and what happens if the power goes and you cannot reach them at all.

That worry is not irrational. Severe weather is genuinely more dangerous for older people, and Ireland has had two stark reminders of that in recent years. The good news is that most of the risk can be reduced with a short list of practical, low-cost preparations, plus a simple agreement about how the family stays in touch. This guide covers both, and is part of our wider pillar on non-wearable monitoring and staying safe at home.

Why storms and power cuts are higher-risk for older people

A storm is an inconvenience for most of us. For an older person living alone, the same storm can stack several risks on top of one another at once. The Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) both single out older and more vulnerable people for extra care during cold spells and severe weather, and the reasons are worth spelling out.

Older bodies regulate temperature less well, so a cold house becomes dangerous faster. Mobility and balance are often already reduced, so a dark hallway during a power cut is a far bigger fall risk than it would be for a younger person. Many older people depend on powered equipment or refrigerated medication. And, crucially, the very thing that helps in an emergency, picking up the phone, can be the first thing to fail when the landline, broadband or mobile mast loses power.

What recent Irish storms showed us

Two recent named storms make the point better than any statistic in the abstract.

Storm Eowyn struck on 24 January 2025 and was the most severe windstorm Ireland has experienced in modern records. Met Eireann issued a Status Red wind warning for the entire country, the first time a nationwide red warning had been issued in the Republic. A record gust of 184 km/h was recorded at Mace Head in Co. Galway in the early hours of that morning, beating the previous Irish record of 182 km/h set at Foynes, Co. Limerick, all the way back in 1945 (Met Eireann). ESB Networks reported that 768,000 customers lost electricity supply, describing it as by far the worst storm it had ever experienced, both for the number of customers cut off and the scale of damage to the network. Some homes were without power for well over a week (ESB Networks, 2025).

Storm Darragh, only weeks earlier in early December 2024, brought its own Status Red wind warnings for several western and coastal counties and left thousands without power (Met Eireann; Irish Times). Two damaging, named storms in a single winter is no longer a freak event. It is the pattern families now need to plan around.

The lesson is not to be frightened. It is that a power cut lasting hours, or occasionally days, is a realistic scenario, and that an older person living alone is exactly the person who needs a plan in place before the forecast turns red.

The four real dangers in a long power cut

When the lights go out for an extended period, the risk to an older person is rarely the storm itself. It is the knock-on effects inside the home. There are four to plan for.

1. Cold and hypothermia

Once central heating depends on electricity, even a gas or oil system with an electric pump or ignition stops working in a power cut. A house cools quickly, and older people feel the cold less, so the danger can creep up unnoticed. The HSE defines hypothermia as a core body temperature below 35°C and treats it as life-threatening, which is why keeping warm is the single highest priority during a winter power cut (HSE / HPSC).

2. Medication that needs refrigeration

Some medicines, insulin being the most common, need to be kept cool. A fridge without power will hold its temperature for a while if the door stays shut, but a multi-day outage needs a plan. This is a question worth asking a pharmacist in advance, not during the storm.

3. Powered medical and mobility equipment

Stairlifts, riser-recliner chairs, electric beds, oxygen concentrators and similar equipment all stop in a power cut. Anyone who relies on powered equipment needs a manual fall-back worked out ahead of time, and the device supplier is the right place to ask what that should be.

4. Isolation and the loss of contact

This is the danger that worries families most. A power cut can take out the broadband router, the cordless landline (the handset needs mains power) and, if it lasts long enough, the local mobile mast. An older person can end up genuinely cut off at exactly the moment a fall or a cold-related problem is most likely. The answer is a charged mobile, a back-up power source for it, and an agreed check-in routine, all of which are in the checklist below.

The takeaway: power came back fast for most, but tens of thousands of homes were still in the dark a week later. A storm plan should assume a multi-day outage is possible, not just a few hours.

The storm & power-cut preparedness checklist

This is the practical heart of the guide. None of it is expensive or technical. Most of it can be sorted in an afternoon, and the best time to do it is now, on a calm day, not when a red warning is already on the news. Work through it with your parent rather than for them, so they know where everything is.

Communication first

• A charged mobile phone kept topped up, with the ringer turned up and emergency contacts saved and easy to find. A landline handset usually needs mains power, so the mobile is the lifeline in an outage.
• A power bank (a battery pack), kept charged, that can recharge the phone at least once. This is the single most useful item on the list, because it keeps the phone alive even if the power is off for a day or more.
• A written list of key numbers on paper by the phone: family, GP, pharmacy, next-door neighbour, and ESB Networks Powercheck for reporting and tracking faults. Do not rely on a phone that might be dead.

Light and warmth

• Torches, not candles. Keep a couple of torches and spare batteries in known places, plus a small one by the bed. Candles are a serious fire risk for someone moving around in the dark, and the HSE advises against relying on them.
• Extra warm layers and blankets set aside within easy reach, including a hat, since a lot of body heat is lost through the head. Wear layers indoors rather than trying to heat a cold room.
• A safe back-up heat source if available, used with care. Never use outdoor heaters, camping stoves or generators indoors, because of the carbon monoxide risk the HSE warns about. A working carbon monoxide alarm is a sensible safeguard.

Food, water and medication

• Non-perishable food that needs no cooking, enough for two to three days, plus a manual tin opener. Eating regular meals helps the body stay warm (HSE advice).
• Bottled water put by, since some homes lose their water supply or pressure when pumping stations lose power.
• A few days of medication in hand, never running down to the last tablet before a refill. For anything that needs refrigeration, agree a plan with the pharmacist in advance.
• A manual back-up for any powered device that matters, worked out ahead of time with the supplier, for example how to move safely if a stairlift or electric bed stops.

Know your home

• Know where the fuse board (consumer unit) is and how to check whether a trip switch has simply flipped, which can look like a power cut but is fixed in seconds.
• Know where the water stopcock is, in case a pipe is damaged and the supply needs to be turned off.
• Keep the path to the bathroom clear so a night-time trip in the dark, when the lights may be out, is as safe as possible. Our pillar guide goes deeper on night-time fall risk.

A daily check-in plan that actually works

The most effective safety measure during a storm is also the simplest, and it is free: an agreed routine for staying in touch. The HSE specifically asks people to keep in regular contact with older relatives and neighbours living alone during severe weather. A little structure makes that reliable rather than ad hoc.

• Agree a check-in time, for example a call every morning and evening while a warning is in place, so a missed call is an immediate signal rather than something noticed hours later.
• Have a named backstop nearby. A neighbour or relative within walking distance who can physically call in is invaluable, especially if phone networks fail. Swap numbers before you need them.
• Make a plan for "if I cannot reach you". Decide in advance who knocks on the door, and make sure they can get in or know who holds a key.
• Consider somewhere warmer to go. The HSE suggests that if a power cut leaves someone without heat, staying with a relative or friend may be the safest option. Knowing that in advance removes the hesitation on the night.

How connected monitoring helps (and where it does not)

A connected home-monitoring service can make that check-in far easier on the family. SmartGuardian is a privacy-first ambient monitoring system: a discreet AI sensor in the room watches movement patterns and can alert the family if it detects a fall or an unusual pattern such as prolonged inactivity, all without anyone having to wear or press anything. Importantly, it is privacy-first by design. There is no camera footage and no recorded video; the sensor works from an anonymised stick-figure representation of movement, so a person's dignity is preserved even while the family gets peace of mind.

During the unsettled run-up to a storm, when you are checking the forecast and wondering how your parent is getting on, that ability to see, at a glance, that things are normal at home is genuinely reassuring. It complements the daily phone call rather than replacing it.

If you would like to read more widely about keeping an older relative safe and independent at home, our guide on parents living alone covers the bigger picture, and the non-wearable monitoring pillar explains how ambient sensing works in plain language.

Putting it together

Storms like Eowyn and Darragh are a reminder that the weather is, occasionally, beyond anyone's control. What is within your control is preparation. Spend an afternoon this week working through the checklist with your parent, agree how you will stay in touch when the next red warning lands, and decide whether a connected service like SmartGuardian would give your family an extra layer of reassurance for the everyday, not just the storm.

Do those three things and the next time the forecast turns red, you will spend the evening a great deal calmer, because you will already know the plan is in place.

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