It’s been a busy hurricane season, and it’s not over yet. Many of us have become accustomed to stocking up on canned goods and bottled water, or prepping an evacuation bag full of clothes and toiletries, but prescription medications and medical documents are easy to forget in your emergency kit.
Here are several tips to ensure your medical needs are met during a natural disaster.
Ample supply of prescription meds
If you’re on any medications, call your doctor or pharmacy to order and pick up refills (at least a two-week supply). Keep them on hand, dry and in a safe place, in case roads or pharmacies are closed during a disaster. If you’re in an evacuation zone, be sure to pack several days’ worth of all your prescription medications into your grab-and-go bag.
For those with asthma or other respiratory ailments, certain treatments such as home nebulizers might not work if the power goes out. Plan to keep at least two metered dose inhalers on hand as a backup. Stay calm and be aware that environmental conditions or stress can exacerbate respiratory issues.
Keep medical documents safe, dry
Medical records, health and life insurance policies, wills — they’re all in the cloud, right? Not necessarily. Though some may have made the move to a complete electronic filing system, most of us still have paper copies of our most important documents. Purchase a watertight, portable filing container to keep them safe.
Help first responders help you
Prepare a list highlighting essential medical history and information for your entire family. Include any medication allergies and their reactions, a list of prescription medications and their dosages, and any vitamins or supplements taken on a daily basis. In the event of an emergency, first responders have access to all the information they need to treat you or a loved one safely.
Take stock of the basics
Make sure you have enough drinking water — five gallons per person — and canned food for three to five days.
If you lose power, throw out perishable food that has been kept at a temperature warmer than 40 degrees for more than two hours. Frozen food can still be cooked or refrozen if it contains ice crystals or has been kept below 40 degrees. When in doubt, throw it out.
Double-check your first-aid kit and refill any missing supplies. Make sure you have plenty of bandages, a topical antibiotic and gauze pads. If anyone gets a cut or other minor injuries, take care to clean and apply antibiotic ointment to the area, and change the dressing often to reduce your risk of infection.
Visit the CDC website for more hurricane prep tips.
Jamie Ford, M.D., is assistant chief of emergency medicine at Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center.
