Creating laws and regulations that tell power companies they need to design their systems do they don't fall over when it's cold out is a way for the community to handle this particular problem. Arguably a more effective and scalable solution than individually checking on elderly neighbors. We're not a nomadic hunter gatherer society any more, we have better tools to make sure everyone is taken care of. In the 21st century, having to check on your neighbors when it's cold out so they don't die is a societal failure that we should be doing everything possible to fix.
