With hurricane season underway, people with chronic medical conditions are more likely to experience serious complications from being stranded in flood waters or without electricity and should prepare for the possibility of severe weather now. 

 

“Everyone in a coastal region, such as the Greater Houston area, should assume that at some point flood waters could enter their home or isolate their neighborhood with flood waters,” said Beau Briese, M.D., a board-certified emergency medicine physician at Houston Methodist Hospital. “During Hurricane Harvey, many found themselves in life-threatening situations because they weren’t prepared before the storm hit.” 

 

Briese, who also serves as director of international emergency medicine at Houston Methodist Hospital, advises those with chronic medical ailments take these five steps to prepare for hurricane season: 

 

  • Stock up. On top of any normal supply of medications, pick up an extra month of prescriptions at the beginning of hurricane season. You may have to call your physician to ask for an emergency prescription. Once you have the medications on hand, be sure these items are stored in a highly elevated – though still quickly accessible – waterproof area. In addition, gather enough clothes, non-perishable food items, money, water and gas to last at least two weeks. Laminate a list that includes your medical history, surgical history, prescription dose and frequency, dialysis or other special treatment schedule, insurance information and a list of your doctors with their phone numbers and specialties. 

 

  • Talk through a plan with your doctor. Some patients, such as those undergoing dialysis or needing periodic transfusions, chemotherapy or oxygen, should have special emergency plans to ensure their treatments can continue during severe weather. Patients should work with their physicians to have standing orders sent to centers in a high elevation area or out of town in case a patient’s usual center becomes unavailable. 

 

  • Practice makes perfect. Rehearse the actions your family will take if a hurricane makes landfall. Turn on your generator to ensure it is running properly and connect all of the devices it would need to supply, especially those related to your medical care such as LVADs or insulin refrigeration. Make sure you have enough oil, gasoline and a screwdriver on hand to keep the generator working. 

 

  • Be prepared if you evacuate. If you decide to evacuate when a storm is coming, and you require dialysis treatments, oxygen or periodic IV infusions, it is wise to evacuate at least 24 hours before the storm is predicted to make landfall. And do not travel alone. 

 

  • Access local shelters. After the storm hits, if you find yourself at a loss for medications, lacking dialysis or otherwise in need of non-emergent medical care, travel with a neighbor or call 911 for transportation to a local shelter. Have your medical history and needs written out as shelters will have a plan in place for situations like this. 

 

For more information, visit us at houstonmethodist.org or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. 

 

-30-