Following the October 2006 Big Island earthquake, power was out on Oahu for a full day.

"The majority of the calls that came in from seniors that needed help were in high rises - where their elevators didn't function, they couldn't cool very well, their windows may not have opened, their phones may not have even worked because they use those new computer based phones," said Toby Clairmont, from the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

The earthquake is just an example of a natural disaster that can have an impact on all of us - especially seniors. But this is hurricane season and Clairmont's crew was in New Orleans to assist just after Hurricane Katrina.

"Well, that was a real important event for us because it really turned a corner for us in terms of our thought about including elderly in our disaster planning in a much more meaningful way."

Clairmont offers his words of advice - not to frighten seniors, but to make them aware of potential problems ahead of time.

"In fact, there's some things that need to be done a little bit better because they're seniors. I think the most important one is that seniors have a good connection with a reliable friend or family to be their support network," said Clairmont.

Once that is established, Clairmont says, seniors must examine the items and resources they use around their house everyday. They might be surprised at what they discover.

"I mean, seniors have things that we all use but use more of and are more crucial to their safety and survival. Everything from hearing aid batteries to their medications - may be unavailable for the first few days after a disaster, so unless they have those packaged up and are aware of how to retrieve them and take them with them, there could be problems," said Clairmont.

Again, this is not meant to frighten seniors or their families, only to raise awareness about disaster preparedness.

For a detailed list of what should be in your preparedness kit click here.