After a storm, pharmacies may be closed, damaged, or out of stock, and replacing a prescription without records is slow. Prepare as though you will not be able to refill for a week or more.
Medication
- Refill early — ideally when a storm enters the forecast, before shelves empty.
- Keep at least seven days of every medication, in the original labelled containers.
- Keep a written list of every medication, dose, and the prescribing doctor — on paper and photographed on your phone. If you end up at a shelter or a different pharmacy, this list is what gets you a refill.
- Insulin and other refrigerated medication: plan for no refrigeration. Ask your pharmacist in advance how long your specific medication can be unrefrigerated and what alternatives exist.
Powered medical equipment
- Know the battery life of anything that keeps you or a family member alive or functioning — oxygen concentrators, CPAP, nebulisers, infusion pumps.
- Register with your county's special needs registry in advance if you depend on powered equipment. Most Florida counties maintain one, and it is how you get priority help. This cannot be done during the storm.
- Have a backup power plan that does not involve running a generator indoors. See Generator Safety.
Records
Carry a card or photograph with your conditions, medications, allergies, doctors, and emergency contacts. In a shelter or an emergency room, that card does work you cannot.
General information, not medical advice. Follow the instructions of your own clinician and your county health department.