HONOLULU (KHON2) — Last week during Hawaii’s preparedness week we focused on preparing ourselves and our ohana but today we want to focus on our kupuna.

AARP Hawai`i State Director Keali`i Lopez joined Wake Up 2Day to discuss what kupuna and caregivers of kupuna need to do to prepare for an emergency.

This is a very important issue.

It is possible for some to overlook checking on their kupuna if they are living in a retirement home. Some people may assume that the retirement home has hurricane preparedness all taken care of.

It is important to check with the retirement home or assisted care facility to be sure that not only the staff has taken the steps to prepare for the hurricane season but that kupuna living there know what the plan is and what they need to do to prepare if a tropical cyclone affects our islands.

Lopez said don’t be one of those people on television–scrambling and standing in line at Costco to get supplies.

If you’re not prepared, Lopez suggests that people sign up for their webinar on June 1 at 10 a.m. Visit the AARP website to sign up. The registration is under the Events tab.

The webinar will provide you with all the things you need to create an emergency plan and what needs to be in your emergency kit.

If you don’t have an emergency kit, the beginning of hurricane season is a great time to start or refresh your kit, make sure that the medicines in your kit haven’t expired and change out the food and water, if needed.

When it comes to preparing to assist kupuna, assemble a team of family, neighbors and friends because you may not be home in the event of a hurricane. Ask neighbors if they’d be able to check in on your kupuna if you happen to be away at the time.

If you’re a caregiver of someone with dementia, you will need to have a plan and a team around to assist with dealing with the aftermath of a hurricane and watching your loved one.

Another important thing to plan beforehand, is knowing where you’re going to evacuate to.

If you live in the upper floor of a concrete apartment or if you’ve hardened your home to withstand a hurricane, the best plan might be to shelter in place. But you need to know that ahead of time.

If you have to leave, know that your local school may not be the safest place to shelter. Some of those schools, especially schools close to the ocean will not be open as the disaster centers. So you might need to shelter at a friend or relative’s place on higher ground. So, have a plan on how to get there.

If you get separated, designate a meeting place where you can leave a message or meet after a disaster passes.

Make sure kupuna know how to text because sometimes after a disaster, you can get text messages when you can’t get through on the phone with a voice call. Caregivers, make sure you have back up medications and equipment.

If your loved one has dementia, put your contact information in their clothes in case they wander.

Make sure you have your emergency kit with two weeks of food and water. If there’s a disaster and the ports are closed, you may be on your own for two weeks.