Florida is one of the states in the country where the only seasons you will be familiar with are summer and hurricane. In fact, in the state, the hurricane season lasts for a total of five months from June 1 each year. The peak happens from August to October, where torrential rain, and powerful winds are experienced by residents. Many of these can become very violent and cost lives without the necessary tools. For older adults, here are tips pertaining to medical hurricane preparation.
Talk to Your Medical Provider
Talk to your provider if you need regular medical treatment, for instance you are undergoing dialysis or chemotherapy. Let them know about your backup plan. They can help you outline your treatment plan for you to use in case you will need treatment where you will be evacuated.
Have Your Medications Ready
Aside from talking to your provider, you must also prepare your medications for two weeks. In Florida, you are allowed to obtain a 30-day refill for your prescription medications, even if you just had a refill recently. This is possible if your area is declared to be under a state of emergency, or is under a hurricane warning. It is likewise allowed if the place has activated its emergency management plan and emergency operations center.
Prepare Your Medical Documents
Make sure you have your personal ID, medical ID, and immunization records ready. Likewise, you must have your insurance cards, prescriptions, social security card, contact information for family members and doctors, and insurance policies. Purchase a medical tag that you can use during medical emergencies.
Have a Travel Medical Kit in Handy
You must have a waterproof container where you can store the above-mentioned documents. The kit must likewise include face masks, disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizers, eyeglasses, extra batteries, hearing equipment, and other necessary medical equipment like those for blood sugar monitoring.
Develop Your Own Disaster Response Plan
Here, you will be torn between whether you should stay on your place or evacuate instead. In a retirement community, there will be someone who will help you with that decision. At home, you can discuss evacuation plans with the rest of your family, most especially if you cannot do it on your own, or you need medical equipment that operates using electricity. Among factors needed in the plan are:
- For evacuation. Decide where you will stay during the storm. Perhaps, your family can be with you at a motel where the storm will not hit you. If no one will be with you, let your loved ones know about your evacuation plans.
- Shelter. This is recommended for those of you who rely on electronically-operated medical devices. Since the storm can cause a power outage, you will need to go to a specific needs shelter where these amenities are provided.
- Transportation. Whether you evacuate on your own or you are going to a shelter, you need transportation that will bring you there. Coordinate with family members or the local County services to help you with. In your retirement community, transportation will be provided for free.
