Building a Senior-Friendly Go Bag for Hurricane Season

Posted in Senior-Friendly Go Bag for Hurricane Season by Pat Tarantino

Preparing an Emergency Go Bag for Older Adults

With news of Hurricane Irma’s devastating impact on the American Southeast dominating headlines, now is a great time for New Yorkers to consider their own emergency preparations in anticipation for hurricane season.

Emergency Preparedness experts agree that the best way to protect yourself from a hurricane is to have advanced warning of the storm and, if you live in an area likely to be severely impacted, evacuate to a safe location before the worst of the storm.

To make an easy exit, experts suggest that everyone should have a “Go Bag” packed with basic supplies and materials you will need to remain comfortable and safe in an emergency evacuation center for up to three days.  While there are countless lists available online detailing items that can ease an evacuation, preparing a Go Bag for older adults with more specialized medical needs and sometimes limited mobility presents its own set of challenges.

In this blog, we will offer some practical advice every senior should consider as we enter the peak of hurricane season in NYC.

Pack Practically

Emergency Preparedness experts suggest packing enough supplies in a Go Bag to last an individual three days, including water, food and medication, as well as additional items like weather radios, flashlights and batteries, additional clothing.  These items are all useful, but a Go Bag can become impractically heavy as you add non- essential items, especially for older adults.

One way to avoid over packing is to divide your items into two smaller bags – one with light, essential items you must have at all times (Bag 1 in this article), and a second bag (Bag 2) with bulkier items that, while useful, can be left behind if forced to move quickly.

Any time you repack a Go Bag, be sure to test the weight and imagine you are going to the airport: can you reasonably carry these items for several hours of hurry-up-and-wait?

Vital Items (Bag 1 – Medical Supplies, Identification, Short-Term Supplies and Communication/Legal Materials)

When deciding whether to pack an item in your essential or non-essential bag, ask yourself this question: Is this item easily replaceable or borrowed?  If the answer is no, pack the item in Bag 1.  This includes the following items:

• Vital documents (identification cards, up-to-date prescriptions, written contact information for friends and family, copies of your deed, birth certificate and other difficult to replace documents)
• A small amount of cash and coins for emergency purchases
• At least seven days of medication, stored securely and clearly labelled*
• A backup pair of glasses
• A cell phone, charger and backup battery or power block
• Any medical documentation that can help medical staff better treat any chronic or serious conditions you may have
• A small supply of food and water (think a bottle of water and some granola bars or similar light food items)
• A small flashlight (preferably a long-lasting LED) and one set of backup batteries
• Personal hygiene items – preferably in travel-sized amounts
• A spare set of keys for your home

*When packing medical supplies, be sure to consider EVERY medical item you use on a daily basis. If you use incontinence care products, be sure to pack enough for several days of use.  If you are diabetic and rely on insulin, be sure to pack it in a small insulated container and keep an ice pack ready in your freezer to ensure the insulin maintains its potency – also consider packing glucose pills to counter low blood sugar. Also consider buying an additional blood sugar testing kit specifically for your Go Bag.

Non Essential Items (Bag 2 – Clothing, comfort and heavier supplies)

While some preparedness guides encourage people to carry an assortment of tools and items that might be practical in a more rural setting, like local maps, can openers and sleeping bags, most evacuations in NYC do not require these specialized, oftentimes bulky or heavy items.  Instead, your second bag should be kept as light as possible while still carrying some basic living essentials including:

• A spare change of outer clothing
• Three days’ worth of socks and undergarments
• A reasonable amount of ready-to-eat food and water (based on the user’s carrying capacity)*
• A small poncho and emergency blanket
• Spare batteries
• A small emergency supply of medication

*Remember, even if you are being brought to an emergency shelter by vehicle, you might spend a considerable amount of time waiting either for pick up or assignment once at the shelter. If your bag is very bulky or heavy, it might crowd others also seeking safety or worse, might impact your ability to move safely.

Other Considerations:

While emergency workers will do everything they can to assist you during an emergency, remember that they will be very busy caring for everyone in need of help. As a result, you need to be prepared and as self sufficient as possible. Below are some additional tips you should consider:

• If you use any type of assistive device like a cane, walker or wheelchair, be sure to label these items with your name, phone number and address to avoid confusion with other evacuees
• Consider using a rolling bag or other wheeled container as your Go Bag, especially if you have difficulty carrying heavy objects
• If you use an assistive device like a walker or wheelchair, consider using bags you can easily hang on your chair or walker for better mobility
• If you have room to spare, pack instructions for any medical devices you rely on so volunteers and other emergency workers can assist you in their operation if needed
• If you rely on a wheelchair, consider packing a small repair kit, or in the case of powered wheelchair users, a backup battery or charging device

SelectCare Home Health Care Services of NY hopes you find this article useful and share it among your peers, especially those with medical needs that would make a sudden evacuation difficult.

At SelectCare, emergency preparedness strategies are built into all levels of our service, starting with every client’s first free in-home RN Assessment, ongoing emergency preparedness training exercises and every client’s emergency communication binder, providing clients with complete and fully updated records of known medical conditions, prescriptions and other vital information they will need in order to evacuate safely.

If you or a loved one is concerned about their ability to remain safe during emergency events, there is no better time than now to call SelectCare or request a free home health care guide to learn more about how we can help, no matter what challenges tomorrow will bring.