Happy Friday! I’ll be around today, Bit is working. She was supposed to be off Saturday, but two people are now off due to a funeral, so she has to work to cover because there’s no one available to open the kitchen. So, we’re going to have to door dash some stuff until we can go for groceries. Heat indexes are up over 110 in the afternoons, so walking to the grocery store after she gets off work is a no-go.   

As you can see by Itzl’s concerned look, this group is for us to check in to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!

IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a PM to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome  everyone   who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!

Today I want to talk about Hurricane Preparedness. I’m going to make this a series over several Friday’s because it’s a long list.  For some of you this isn’t an issue, but, there’s still some weather or even that you should be prepared for (tornado, flood, earthquake, fire, etc). And most of the must haves on the lists are similar, within the same season anyway.  First: A basic check list: 

According to Floridadisaster.org on the general needs list is:  2 weeks of medication, regularly used medical supplies and an allergy list

The style, serial number and and manufacturer of all medical equipment

Books, games, puzzles, etc.  Lets talk about medications first. This is the recommendations of the Florida Government to have on hand for a hurricane. And yet, if you are on Florida Medicaid or you are on Medicare, YOU CANNOT GET PRESCRIPTIONS AHEAD. They will only fill them within 2 days of when they are out. So, unless you can afford to pay cash for all of your scripts and are on Medicaid (which isn’t going to happen, if you qualify for Medicaid in Florida you don’t make enough for that), you literally can’t get two weeks supply to put in your hurricane kit. If your script runs out 3 days after a hurricane goes through, and the pharmacy is closed, or you’re in a shelter and can’t get to one.. tough luck. My prescriptions alone run about $700 per month if I had to pay for them in cash. That’s more than what I get in disability for a month.  I really wish the Florida Government would make provisions for this. Maybe once we have a decent Governor I’ll write a letter. I don’t think there’s a point to even trying with DeSantis.  

Ok, medical device info is generally pretty easy, getting replacements however can be tricky if you need them. Best advice, for anything portable, take it with you to a shelter. Anything that you can’t, make sure you take the contact numbers of whomever you get your medical devices through, and your prescribing doctor’s number, in case.   Batteries, flashlights, weather radio.  These are all important. My advice is get things that use the same type of batteries (or maybe 2 types), and make sure you buy batteries *well* ahead of any storms. I usually stock up in April before hurricane season hits. Because once that storm gets close you’re going to have trouble finding any batteries at all.  Having them use one or two types of batteries means you don’t have to hunt through a kit to find the right kind you need. It’s also easier and cheaper, buying in bulk to stock up.  And, worse comes to worse, and you’re down to the last half dozen, you can swap them between devices as you need them. 

Again, don’t depend on pulling it all out the day before the storm comes through, if that happens to be a Weekend , a lot of the ATMs will run out of money.  I pull money out over several weeks early in the season, and keep it tucked away somewhere safe and hidden in my house, and only put it in the hurricane kit or my purse when the storm hits. Make sure the people in your household or someone you trust also knows where you put it, in case you forget at the last minute! (Ever put something somewhere so you wouldn’t lose it, and then forget where you put it? Doing this with hurricane cash can be really panic inducing.) 

We use two kinds. We have the rapid charge bricks, which we charge up just before the storm hits, but we also have some crank and solar chargers that will charge cell phones. I have a nebulizer that powers off a usb cord or on battery, so having the rapid charge bricks are good for that too, and you can recharge them with the solar chargers.  Books, games, puzzles, etc:

I charge my Kindle e-reader before a hurricane (which lasts about a week). We also charge the tablets, which have audio books saved on them. I also have bookcases full of paper books, but the light isn’t always good enough to read those, even with lanterns/flashlights. They’re better for after the storm, during the day when you can sit outside or by a window.  We keep a deck of cards in the hurricane kit, both regular and UNO actually. Cards are more portable and more versatile then board games.  Also notebooks and pens, because we play “write the next line in a story” games often too, we also make up our own Madlibs. Keep what works for you. Knitting and crocheting supplies are good. Sketching supplies for my kids etc.  We’ll cover the next couple of sections in the list next time.  What do you  keep in your hurricane kit (in these categories)? Please don’t wait until the disaster is upon you to prepare! Avoid the lines and shortages and plan ahead.