Many weather conditions come with the risk of a power outage, no matter the time of year. The summer months bring increased risk for hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, storms and other natural disasters.A power outage can significantly affect people who rely on home oxygen, medical equipment that runs on electricity, or medications that require refrigeration. It’s important to create an emergency plan before a power outage occurs.Be prepared with these tips:- Contact your electric company to let them know you rely on oxygen or other electrical medical equipment. Most utility companies have a registration process that will prioritize restoring power to customers who require life-saving equipment that runs on electricity.
- Keep an up-to-date list of your medications, including dosage and indicated use.
- Obtain early refills if access to your pharmacy may be interrupted.
- Stock-up on extra supplies. Store extra batteries for your pumps and other battery-operated equipment. If you use oxygen, contact your oxygen company to fill your tanks. Stock up on bottled and/or purified water if your drugs need to be mixed with water.
- Talk to your pharmacist about how to store medications that need refrigeration. Ask how long you can use them after a power outage.
- Fill a cooler with ice for medications that need to be refrigerated.
- Place medications in sealable plastic bags or water-tight containers to protect them from water.
- If power has been off for a long time, discard and replace the drug.
- Contact your pharmacist before using any drugs that require storage at certain temperatures.
- Keep a list of all important contacts: medical providers, pharmacies, oxygen and medical equipment suppliers.
- Find pharmacies open in areas affected by disaster at Rx Open.
