Packing your hurricane go bag? Make provisions for your health
When you live in a coastal area, preparing early for potential hurricanes is a must. Storms can develop quickly, leaving little time to figure out where you’ll be safe or which items to pack if you have to evacuate. And health care necessities, such as medications or medical equipment, are often overlooked in the scramble.
“People might bring their diabetes medication but forget their blood sugar monitor, or bring their hearing aids but forget extra batteries for them,” says Dr. Scott Goldberg, medical director of emergency preparedness at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a longtime member of a FEMA task force that responds to hurricane-damaged areas.
Here’s some insight on what to expect this hurricane season, and how to prioritize health care in your hurricane kit.
What will the 2024 hurricane season look like?
This year’s hurricane predictions underscore the urgency to start preparations now.
Forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service expect above-normal activity for the 2024 hurricane season (which lasts until November 30).
Meteorologists anticipate 17 to 25 storms with winds of 39 mph or higher, including eight to 13 hurricanes — four to seven of which could be major hurricanes with 111 mph winds or higher.
What kinds of plans should you make?
Preparing for the possibility of big storms is a major undertaking. Long before ferocious winds and torrential rains arrive, you must gather hurricane supplies, figure out how to secure your home, and determine where to go if you need to evacuate (especially if you live in a flood zone). Contact the emergency management department at your city or county for shelter information.
If you’ll need help evacuating due to a medical condition, or if you’ll need medical assistance at a shelter, find out if your county or city has a special needs registry like this one in Florida. Signing up will enable first responders to notify you about storms and transport you to a special shelter that has medical staff, hospital cots, and possibly oxygen tanks.
What should you pack?
While a shelter provides a safe place to ride out a storm, including bathrooms, water, and basic meals, it’s up to you to bring everything else. It’s essential to pack medical equipment and sufficient medications and health supplies.
“It’s natural to just grab the prescription medications in your medicine cabinet, but what if it’s only a two-day supply? It might be a while before you can get a refill. We recommend at least a 14-day or 30-day supply of every prescription,” Dr. Goldberg says. “Talk to your doctor about the possibility of getting an extra refill to keep on standby for your go bag.”
Other health-related items you’ll want to pack include:
- medical supplies you use regularly, such as a blood pressure monitor, heart monitor, CPAP machine, wheelchair, or walker
- over-the-counter medicines you use regularly, such as heartburn medicine or pain relievers
- foods for specific dietary needs, such as gluten-free food if you have celiac disease (if you have infants or children, you’ll need to bring foods they can eat)
- healthy, nonperishable snacks such as nuts, nut butters, trail mix, dried fruit, granola bars, protein bars, and whole-grain bread, crackers, or cereals
- hygiene products such as soap, hand sanitizer, toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, infant or adult diapers, lip balm, moist towelettes, and toilet paper — because shelters often run out of it.
Remember the basics
In some ways, you can think of shelter living like camping. You’ll need lots of basic supplies to get through it, including:
- a sleeping bag or blanket and pillow for each person in your family
- clean towels and washcloths
- a few extra changes of clothes per person
- a first-aid kit
- flashlights and extra batteries
- chargers for your electronic gadgets
- rechargeable battery packs.
Bring important paperwork
In addition to supplies, bring important documents such as:
- a list of your medications, vitamins, and supplements (include the name, dose, and frequency of each one)
- a list of the names, addresses, and phone numbers of your primary care provider and any specialists who treat you
- a list of your emergency contacts and their phone numbers
- your pharmacy’s phone number and address
- copies of your birth certificate and driver’s license
- copies of home, car, or life insurance policies
- copies of your health insurance cards
- a copy of your advance directive — which includes your living will and health care proxy form.
“Store these documents on a flash drive. Also make photocopies of them, which are easiest for doctors to consult in an emergency setting. Place them in a plastic zip-top bag to keep them dry,” Dr. Goldberg advises.
Prepare right now
Start today. Gather as many go-bag supplies as you can, including the bags. A small suitcase, backpack, or duffel bag for each person in your family will work well.
And try not to put off these important preparations. “Hurricanes are major stressors. You might be worried, sleep deprived, fatigued, and emotional,” Dr. Goldberg says. “All of that will make it hard to think clearly. You’ll do yourself and your family a favor by having discussions now and getting started on your hurricane plan.”
About the Author
Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
Heidi Godman is the executive editor of the Harvard Health Letter. Before coming to the Health Letter, she was an award-winning television news anchor and medical reporter for 25 years. Heidi was named a journalism fellow … See Full Bio View all posts by Heidi Godman
About the Reviewer
Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
Dr. Howard LeWine is a practicing internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Chief Medical Editor at Harvard Health Publishing, and editor in chief of Harvard Men’s Health Watch. See Full Bio View all posts by Howard E. LeWine, MD
Orienteering: Great exercise and better thinking skills?
Picture this: you’re with friends in an unfamiliar forest using only a map and a compass to guide you to an upcoming checkpoint. There are no cell phones or GPS gadgets to help, just good old brainpower fueled by a sense of adventure as you wind through leafy trees and dappled sunlight.
This is not an excursion to a campsite or a treasure hunt. It’s a navigation sport called orienteering — a fun way to get outside, exercise, and maybe even help fight cognitive decline, according to a 2023 study.
What is orienteering?
Orienteering combines map and compass reading with exercise. Competitors (“orienteers”) race against a clock to reach checkpoints in outdoor settings that can range from city parks to remote areas with mountains, lakes, rivers, or snowy fields.
“You can go out in a group or on your own. You get a very detailed map and navigate your way to checkpoints that record your time electronically,” says Clinton Morse, national communications manager with Orienteering USA, the national governing body for the sport in the United States.
Because orienteers are racing the clock, they might run on trails, hike up hills, or scramble around boulders. That’s for foot-orienteering events. There are also orienteering events with courses geared for mountain biking, cross-country skiing, or canoeing.
How might orienteering affect thinking skills?
A small 2023 study published online in PLoS One found a potential link between orienteering and sharp thinking skills.
Researchers asked 158 healthy people, ages 18 to 87, about their health, activities, navigation abilities, and memory. About half of the participants had varying levels of orienteering experience. The other participants were physically active but weren’t orienteers.
Compared with study participants who didn’t engage in orienteering, those who were orienteers reported
- having better navigational processing skills (recognizing where objects were, and where participants were in relation to the objects)
- having better navigational memory skills (recalling routes and landmarks).
The study was observational — that is, not a true experiment — and thus didn’t prove that orienteering boosted people’s thinking skills. But the link might be plausible.
“Aerobic exercise releases chemicals in the brain that foster the growth of new brain cells. And when you use a map and connect it to landmarks, you stimulate growth between brain cells,” says Dr. Andrew Budson, lecturer in neurology at Harvard Medical School and chief of cognitive and behavioral neurology at VA Boston Healthcare System.
Where can you find orienteering opportunities?
There are about 70 orienteering clubs across the United States, and many more around the world (the sport is extremely popular in Europe). To find an orienteering event in your area, use the club finder tool offered by Orienteering USA.
How can you get started with orienteering?
People of all ages and athletic levels can take part, because orienteering courses vary from local parks to wilderness experiences. Costs are about $7 to $10 per person for local events, or $25 to $40 per person for national events, plus any travel and lodging expenses.
To make orienteering easy at first, Morse suggests going with a group and taking things slowly on a short novice course. “You don’t have to race,” he says. “Some people do this recreationally to enjoy the challenge of completing a course at their own pace.”
The trickiest part is learning to read the map. Morse’s advice:
- Turn the map as you change directions. Hold the map so that the direction you’re heading in is at the top of the page. For example, if the compass indicates that you’re heading south, turn the map upside down, so the south part is on top and easier to follow.
- Create a mental image of what the map is telling you. If there’s a fence along a field on the map, build a picture of it in your mind so you can recognize it when you see it, even if you haven’t been there before.
Tips for safe and enjoyable orienteering events:
- Dress appropriately. Wear comfortable clothes including long pants, good walking shoes, and a hat.
- Lather up. You’ll be outside for at least an hour, and you’ll need sunblock and possibly tick and bug spray depending on the terrain. Preventing tick bites that can lead to Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses is important in many locations.
- Bring some essentials. Pack water, a snack, sunblock, bug spray, and your phone. (Keep the phone turned off unless you need to call for help.)
- Use good judgment. Know that the shortest route on the map won’t always be the best, since it might take you up a hill or through thick vegetation. It might be better to go around those areas.
Once you learn the basics of orienteering, you can make it more physically challenging (and a better workout) by going faster and trying to beat your previous times, or by signing up for a more advanced course that’s longer and requires more exertion and speed.
And no matter which event you take part in, enjoy the adventure. “You’re not just following a path, you’re solving puzzles while being immersed in nature,” Morse says. “It’s a great way to experience the outdoors.”
About the Author
Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
Heidi Godman is the executive editor of the Harvard Health Letter. Before coming to the Health Letter, she was an award-winning television news anchor and medical reporter for 25 years. Heidi was named a journalism fellow … See Full Bio View all posts by Heidi Godman
About the Reviewer
Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
Dr. Howard LeWine is a practicing internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Chief Medical Editor at Harvard Health Publishing, and editor in chief of Harvard Men’s Health Watch. See Full Bio View all posts by Howard E. LeWine, MD