Disaster Preparedness

Here in Florida we are concerned about hurricanes, but most parts of the country have their own natural disaster threats.  The county where I live has an excellent Hurricane Guide on line with safety advice and preparedness checklists that might be helpful wherever you happen to be.

Among other items, the guide recommends that you know in advance where your nearest emergency shelters are located.  If you have a 'special needs' person...
under your care, find out where an appropriate shelter for the person might be located.  Our county has several shelters, but only a couple that are specifically equipped for 'special needs' residents, and only those who have registered in advance.  Registration is a precaution, whether you will need to use the shelter or not.   Just as importantly, the county has instruction on how to register for transporation to shelters, including 'special needs' transportation.

Our county accepts physician approved special needs registrations up until the hurricane warning is issued, so you don't want to wait until there's actually a problem to start thinking about this.

Also, prepare emergency medicines and foods in advance, especially if the person under your care has diabetic or other considerations.