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The Atlantic hurricane season starts Saturday, and emergency management officials are urging folks to get ready now. That's especially important for older adults who may have health conditions to consider or are living on fixed incomes.
Hillsborough County experts recently visited the Brandon Senior Center to share some storm advice.
Seniors like Gloria Washington attended sessions on how to make evacuation plans, stock up on healthy foods and stay on top of medical needs.
“It's very important to plan ahead of time when you know about a storm coming or a hurricane,” said Washington.
Washington, 74, lives alone, so said she has to be extra careful about preparing for storms. She’s got the right idea, according to Tre Lawson, the county’s emergency management coordinator.
“It’s real big for seniors living alone; we want to let them know that being self-sufficient is great, but we also have resources out here to assist in the form of shelters, special needs shelters, presentations such as this to help them gather information to help themselves and even our website,” Lawson said.
Here’s some things the seniors learned that you may want to know too:
1. Build a medical kit for emergencies
One of the most important things seniors — or anyone — can have in place is an emergency kit, according to Brian Eckhart, quality management manager with Hillsborough County Aging Services.
“It’s going to help you make sure that you have all the things you need to stay safe, but it also gives you the ability to be mobile,” Eckhart said. “If you need to run in a hurry, you can just grab your kit and relocate.”
Some things to include in the kit are over-the-counter pain and allergy medicines, bandages, antiseptic products, vitamins, bug spray, and any prescription medications people may take.
Pre-made kits can be purchased online or at various retail stories, Eckhart said, but it may be cheaper or preferable to build your own with the things you want.
Starting early helps you spread out purchases and ensures if a storm does hit the area, you won’t be scrambling to find what you need at the last minute.
2. You can get prescription refills early if a storm is coming
You want to have a minimum seven-day supply of your prescription medications in your emergency kit and ideally more than that, Eckhart said.
Many seniors attending his presentation said they didn’t know Florida has a law that helps prevent people from running out of their meds during hurricanes.
According to the law, you can get a 30-day supply of your prescription medication even if you’ve just refilled it under the following circumstances:
- You live in an area that’s under a hurricane warning issued by the National Weather Service.
- You live in an area under a state of emergency executive order declared by the governor.
- You live in an area that has activated its emergency operations center or emergency management plan.
If you need to access a refill outside of those circumstances, Eckhart said most pharmacies can issue a one-time emergency refill with a three-day supply of medicine, provided its not a controlled substance like a narcotic.
He suggested seniors wanting to start building their kits early ask a pharmacist for this small amount to get their going. If those three doses approach their expiration date, he said you can take them instead of your regular supply and then replace them with three newer ones.
3. Make a safety plan
It’s important to know your flood zone so you can determine when you need to evacuate your home as a hurricane approaches.
Officials talked about the emergency shelters the county has available for residents, including some tailored to folks with special needs. They also encouraged seniors to keep in touch with family and friends they may be able to stay with and shared tips for sheltering in place.
Once again, having these conversations early is key.
“Let’s just make a plan. It’s never too late,” said Lawson. “I encourage you to make a plan, practice your plan and make adjustments as time permits.”
Senior center member and volunteer Ruth De La Paz shared her key takeaway:
“If you're in a dangerous area, do not stay home, please, do not stay home,” she said, adding, “I can say that in Spanish if you want — no te quiere en la casa, si es lugares peligroso.”
You can find out what zone you reside in and learn more about how to prepare your home with the state’s online tool.
4. Have plenty of food and water
You should have at least three days’ worth of food to get through a hurricane and preferably more, according to Brian Taylor, a dietitian with Hillsborough County Aging Services.
He recommends stocking foods that don’t expire quickly, such as dried fruits, canned beans and granola bars.
“It's so important to get the foods ahead of time so that they're not in a bind at the last minute,” said Taylor.
Even though they have a shorter shelf life, he said it’s ideal to have some fresh fruits and vegetables available, too. And, Taylor said, it’s a good idea to save condiment packets or seasonings to help add some flavor if you’ll be eating without power for a while.
Water supply is especially important, Taylor said, encouraging folks to have five to seven days’ worth of drinking water for each individual and their pets.
If you don’t want to buy a bunch of gallons of water and have them sitting around the house in case of emergency, Taylor suggests saving old containers or using inflatable bladders that store away lightly and can be filled in the days leading up to the storm.
There are also water filtration tablets and special straws designed to purify water from say a swimming pool or spring into drinking water that you can purchase for worse-case scenarios.
5. Take advantage of sales and generics to save money
Preparing for a storm can be daunting financially, especially for older adults.
“Seniors are typically on fixed incomes, right; they have to be thrifty with what they're going to use,” said Eckhart.
Buying generics of medications or supplies instead of name brands can save money.
He used multivitamins as an example. You may prefer to normally take a gummy chew of a name brand vitamin, but maybe for your emergency kit, you can forgo that with a cheaper tablet.
Shopping at discount stores and taking advantage of sales can also help.
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