Hurricane Preparedness for People with Disabilities

If you have special health care needs and you live in a hurricane evacuation zone, an area threatened by storm surge, it is essential to plan well in advance for the supplies you will need during evacuation from your home and for sheltering in another area.

Hurricane season begins on June 1 and lasts through November 30.

Whether you will be evacuating with family, neighbors or friends - here is a special health care needs checklist for emergencies:

1. Medical equipment and assistive devices (glasses, hearing aid, catheters, augmentative communication devices, cane, wheelchair, scooter, walker, dressing aids, oxygen, tubing, feeding supplies, drinking straws, etc.) Label each with your name and contact information. Be sure to have extra batteries and chargers.
2. List of model numbers or serial numbers of medical devices and equipment.
   
3. Medical alert tags or bracelets and written description of your disability-related or health care conditions.
4. Medications and copies of all prescriptions, including a list of the prescription name, dosage, frequency, doctor and pharmacist. Also consider if medications need to be refrigerated and if so, bring a cooler with an ice pack or other coolant system.
5. Hygiene supplies including absorbent pads and urinal as needed and personal grooming items such as toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, towel, washcloth, comb, brush.
6. Phone numbers and names of your physicians or other health care providers, health insurance information, emergency contact information including your support network members.
7. Supplies for a service animal including food, identification tags, proof of up-to-date vaccinations and veterinarian contact.
   Having emergency supplies in easy-to-carry containers will serve you well, no matter what kind of emergency you face.

Here is a checklist ALL evacuees can use in preparing their emergency kits that you can share with friends and neighbors:

• First-aid kit
• Extra prescription medications, written copies of prescriptions, other special medical items
• Important documents and records, photo IDs, proof of residence, information you may need to process insurance claims
• Cash (power outages mean banks and ATMs may be unavailable)
• Battery-operated radio
• Flashlight with extra batteries
• Phone numbers of family and friends
• 3-day supply of non-perishable food, one gallon of bottled water per person per day,
• Coolers for food and ice storage, paper plates, plastic utensils
• Manual can opener, knife, tools, booster cables, fire extinguisher, duct tape, tarp, rope
• Blankets, pillows, sleeping bags and extra clothing
• Toilet paper, cleanup supplies, personal hygiene products
• Eyeglasses, sunglasses, hearing aids
• Special supplies needed for babies, older adults or pets
• Extra keys

More resources can be found at www.redcross.org and www.Ready.gov.

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This website made possible by funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Administration on Developmental Disabilities/Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration/U.S. Department of Education/Rehabilitation Services and Administration. The contents of this report are solely the responsibility of DRCVI and do not necessarily represent the official view of any of these agencies.

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