Hurricane season begins June 1st and ends November 30th. It is important for everyone to be prepared for hurricane season with an evacuation plan and hurricane supplies, which, according to Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, should include:
However, seniors and individuals with disabilities must make extra preparations:
1. For those with special medical needs, register for the special needs shelter in their area to ensure priority evacuation if evacuation becomes necessary. In Florida, each county’s special needs shelter is listed at FloridaDisaster.org.
2. If you take medications, work with your pharmacist and doctor to get an extra month’s medications in the event of an evacuation or loss of utilities or road access. You may have to work directly with your health insurance company to get the extra medications covered.
3. Prepare an immediate evacuation kit with two sets of clean clothing, extra medications, your health insurance or Medicare cards, copies of your Durable Power of Attorney and health care advance directives, an extra set of eye glasses, contact information for your emergency contact, the name and contact information for your doctor, and a list of your medications and dosage.