Different members of my family have camped out in hospital parking lots miles away from home because a loved one was in for major medical care, it becomes a coordinated effort, someone takes them there, someone else stays a certain amount of time, rotate out ones that are able to stay, etc.
You get used to being without, my parents for example live up to a week at a time without electricity in the winters, they have a generator and wood stove and eventually the electric company makes it out to their end and fixes the lines. You get used to not having a reliable telephone and keep your emergency cell phone charged and ready with a few pre-paid minutes.
We had to leave the house at 5am to make it in time for surgery for my father a few years ago. It started snowing around 5pm the sunday evening before and dumped a record 14 inches of snow on us, my 2wd which was fine in the big city just barely made it there.
The local town is dependent on the local military to plow them out, can't afford snow plows.
Its interesting though, our county all the old family farms are being sold to people who moved from the cities, they retire and can afford to buy a farm and live off their 401k and other investments.