almost every section of the country is subject to different types of natural disaster(s)… The standard recommendation from the AMERICAN RED CROSS .. is listed below…. including Medications (7-day supply) and medical items.. that would suggest that for every ONE MILLION population affected by the disaster .. each day abt 11,000 chronic pain pts would be running out of the necessary medications.. Given the current small “window” (1-2 days) that pts are allowed to refill their medications.
The American Red Cross recommends, at a minimum, you should have the basic supplies listed below:
- Water—one gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
- Food—non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
- Flashlight
- Battery-powered or hand-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
- Extra batteries
- First aid kit – Anatomy of a First Aid Kit
- Medications (7-day supply) and medical items
- Multi-purpose tool
- Sanitation and personal hygiene items
- Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
- Cell phone with chargers
- Family and emergency contact information
- Extra cash
- Emergency blanket
- Map(s) of the area
Depending on your family, you may need to add supplies to your kit. Consider some of the following items if needed:
- Medical supplies (hearing aids with extra batteries, glasses, contact lenses, syringes, etc)
- Baby supplies (bottles, formula, baby food, diapers)
- Games and activities for children
- Pet supplies (collar, leash, ID, food, carrier, bowl)
- Two-way radios
- Extra set of car keys and house keys
- Manual can opener
Some other items that you should keep at home or in your survival kit based on the types of disasters common to your area:
- Whistle
- N95 or surgical masks
- Matches
- Rain gear
- Towels
- Work gloves
- Tools/supplies for securing your home
- Extra clothing, hat and sturdy shoes
- Plastic sheeting
- Duct tape
- Scissors
- Household liquid bleach
- Entertainment items
- Blankets or sleeping bags
Filed under: General Problems
Thanks for this info, Steve. I am originally from Calif and we keep earthquake kits there but we aren’t as vigilant about them as we should be. I am printing out your list and getting things done since I’m in Florida and terrified of having to evacuate for a hurricane!
I have never seen a script written for a 7 day supply of any medication with a notation “for emergency kit”. I don’t think I, or any one else, would have a problem filling a script like that from a regular patient. Might require a call to the office, but I don’t see why anyone would have a problem… Besides that, my current employer has a 2 day window to fill a controlled script. If you fill 2 days early every month, over the course of a year that is 24 days, a little over 3 week supply.
Hello HTB. Could you tell us who your current employer is? I understand if you don’t want to reveal it for the sake of privacy concerns, I was just wondering. Some patients at pain clinics, including mine, have their appointments scheduled for every 28 days. BUT once you do this for several months you are scheduled to come in in 5 wks not 4. [Can’t be too careful w/ adults having a few extra pills on hand you know] This practice of filling 2 days early, while making perfect sense to any rational adult, is looked at as a ‘red flag’ at some pharmacies when continually filling early. I have had to explain that I dont always get my Rx filled that day of appt due to issues at pharmacy like being ‘out of stock’ or simply not having time as the wait is up to 2 hrs at the hospital some days to fill.
It can also become a problem w/ insurance companies. It is a fact that some add up the days from previous fills from the original date of Rx or even separate prescriptions if for the same medication. They do NOT go by the date on the Rx but rather by the days from the last fill, some even from the pickup date if filled early and left sitting at pharmacy for a day or two. These problematic scenarios are evidenced in several of PS threads here as well as on several other health care/pharmacy blogs.
You could not fill two days early every month because when you reach about a week or so (not sure the exact days off top of my head) over the course of an Rx the insurance company will not cover paying for the Rx.
I experienced this when I was w/out a vehicle for several months and had to have a ride or my girlfriend p/u my Rx (hydrocodone when it was Schedule III). Even more recently I’ve had problems w/ a modafinl Rx. After several months I was 4-5 days early as I sought to save a trip to pharmacy(have many scripts w/ diff dates/doctors) and the insurance wouldn’t pay. I called the insurance company and they told me they would cover a partial fill of up to 22 pills, and this medication is only a schedule IV controlled substance. After filling the remainder and using them accordingly, the next time I returned to the pharmacy on a totally new Rx they would not fill the Rx again. BUT it ‘went through’ as a partial fill for 30 pills (I do not know how many they would have approved of as I didn’t have the time to waste on the phone w/ insurance company that day and just asked the tech to see if it would go through for 30, a number just off top of my head). Rx is always for 60 pills/month, I tablet BID. I have even had problems w/ non-controls, even as cheap as prednisone. I have my regular dose augmented quite often by adding pred tapers when respiratory problems surface. In my insurance company’s formulary prednisone is listed as having NO monthly quantity limits yet it is often times denied. My pulmonologist added 2 tapers in the last month due to pneumonia and the second was not approved. Insights?
*Strangely enough, sometimes a doctor can by pass these ‘rules’ by prescribing the same medication but a different strength, go figure.
*About American Red Cross, a little advice on receiving help from them in emergency situations. Don’t be out of town if you have a house fire, they will NOT give aid. Our family used to donate to this organization, stress on USED TO.