I love to be prepared. It’s one of my favorite things to do and to be.
When I was an event planner, I would arrive with a rolling suitcase full of supplies for anything that popped up. My heart would fill with joy when I got to pop that suitcase open and pull out the exact thing someone needed.
Now that I have an autoimmune disease, being prepared calms my nerves. I’ve run into enough surprise situations over the years that have landed me in an allergic reaction or flare-up to cause me to be prepared for anything I can think of when I leave the house.
Before I got sick, we were a very active family. So, having both camping gear and travel sports gear, I felt prepared for the area we live in. The most we were looking at was being without power, water, and possibly cell service. That was until a hurricane hit the mountains of North Carolina.
We live in eastern NC. When Hurricane Helene hit our mountains in Western North Carolina, I started to think a bit more seriously about storm and hurricane preparation. Because a hurricane hit the MOUNTAINS.
Every family will have both common and unique needs in an emergency. Having specific health needs will add an extra layer to your storm prep.
Some things to consider:
Are you heat or cold intolerant?
Do you have medication that needs to be refrigerated?
Do you use medical equipment that requires power?
Do you need a specific diet?
Do you have mobility limitations?
Last winter, we had work done on our house. I needed to stay in a hotel for a few nights, and I was honestly shocked at how much I needed to take with me. Gone are the days when I can travel light. After I packed, I took a picture of the bags and noted what was in each bag.
Even though nobody likes an unexpected leak in their house, I was glad that this happened. I have since purchased a new travel backpack for clothing. When I got home, I created a list for each bag. Lists and systems help with my confidence when brain fog or panic sets in. For example, I will bring two flat bed sheets to lay on top of the hotel or Airbnb bed and pillows. This helps me not react to whatever detergents have been used. This came in super handy when we traveled this past winter. Having a list helps with items that I am not used to packing before I got sick.
If you are reading this, you are most likely the person in charge and responsible for everyone else in your family. As I was making the list of items I would need to make sure I stayed healthy during an emergency, I started to feel guilty about the extra expense and need. It’s already expensive to be chronically ill. Preparing for something that may never happen can feel like a huge waste of money. Guilt is not a new challenge for me, but I did remind myself of what they say on planes. “Put your oxygen mask on first.”
I am trying to mitigate costs by purchasing things that our family can use outside of emergencies. It will work for some and not for others. I will have to be okay that I may purchase something, and it could go unused. How lucky we will be if we never have an emergency, and it sits on a shelf.
Let’s think through the things that I mentioned above to consider.
Are you heat or cold intolerant?
Depending on your situation, location, and time of year, you may need various items.
Luckily for me, I do well with layers for the cold. I also have an electric blanket that can run off of the power bank or inside of the car.
For the humid heat of the south, I have a few more items.
When I was researching items, I tried to choose things that would work well in case we needed to leave the house. So, a whole house water filter or generator is not on our list.
A portable construction fan. It is small enough to travel well and big enough to truly cool you down. Get the same brand as the power tools that your family uses so that you can use the portable batteries you already own or at least use them as back up. I purchased an extra six hour battery for peace of mind. Pro-Tip: Keep an eye out for sales around Father’s Day. We got the bundle for a great price!
Portable air conditioning units. There are several options when considering these, from window units down to tiny 5” desktop units. Again, I was thinking portable. If we got a window unit, how would we power that? I ended up with a desktop unit that is about eleven inches high.
A continuous misting bottle. This is an item I use every day for my hair, but it can create a great chilling effect when you mist yourself, clothing, or your pillow with a fan blowing on you.
Electrolytes – I like Liquid IV since they are already pre-portioned into single servings. They are easy to pack and travel with.
Medication:
Do you have a list of all your medications and supplements? Are they all easily accessible? Do you have a bag or a way to transport them? When you are packing bottles and bottles of meds and supplements, they take up a surprising amount of space.
I have a soft sided cooler that holds about sixteen cans to throw all of my meds and supplements in. This ensures that they are easy to grab and insulated a bit from the elements since we are in the south. By choosing something this size, I can also ensure that other family members can throw what they need in there, as well as a first aid kit.
Do you have meds and supplements that need to be refrigerated? I purchased a small nine can refrigerator. I can fit a few months of meds in it if needed. I wanted something small enough that it could run off of our car battery if needed and didn’t draw too much power off of our main power bank, since we currently only have one and I need it at night for my CPAP machine.
Do you use medical equipment that requires power?
Speaking of CPAP machines, we purchased the Ankor Solar Generator SOLIX C300 to run my CPAP machine in case we lose power. I hemmed and hawed a bunch over this purchase. This is a situation where we hopefully never use an item, but we needed to invest in something that had the specs needed for its intended purpose. I did test it, and it will run my specific CPAP machine for about 6 hours. I am looking into a travel CPAP machine that would require a lot less power, but they are pricey and not covered by insurance.
We also purchased smaller power banks to charge portable devices and cell phones. I will need to charge the large power bank during the day in order to use it at night.
Do you need a specific diet?
We have several people in our family who need special diets. Make sure that you have shelf-stable food that falls into those needs.
Do you have any accessibility aids?
Make a list of what you use on a daily basis. Are there some things that you can have extras of that can be stored and ready to go? Would it be helpful to have a large plastic container or bag with a list of everything that should go in there? A common item that is listed in an emergency kit is a manual can opener. Those can be challenging to use. Do you need a specific one? Does it need power? Can you find a battery operated opener? We purchased one like this for our kit.
I have a friend who needs a special pillow to sit on. She could easily go without some of my heat mitigating tools, but forget her pillow, and she would be in pain for weeks if not months afterwards.
The goal of thinking through what your specific health needs are in case of an emergency is to keep you at peak performance and out of a flare-up. I personally will get a bit shy sometimes about any accommodations that I need, but this is not the time to see if you can “tolerate the heat this time” or “eat that food without a reaction.”
Now, if I could have one thing that I don’t currently have, it would be a house big enough so I could have everything I would need in the case of an emergency, packed in the corner of a room. That is not the case for us. We have things in closets, the garage, under beds… this is why I want to think about this now when everything is calm and I can make a list of what I need, how I will pack it, and where it is located in the house.
Don’t forget to grab a copy of the packing printable for yourself! Keep a copy in each bag and on your phone.
Tell me, what is something that you need to travel with or would need in case of an emergency?
