Archive for September, 2013

In Case of Emergency: Hurricane Readiness Part 2

Posted on: September 12th, 2013 by BrevardBlogger No Comments

Brevard Medical Equipment is continuing this month’s theme of National Preparedness Month by discussing what to do in case of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, would come through and what should you do to prepare.

Some hurricanes don’t cause any damage but others can get very strong and may force you to prepare and evacuate sooner.  People who use home medical equipment should keep extra items available like wheelchair batteries, oxygen canisters, medications and prescriptions, food for service animals and any information about model numbers to your home medical equipment.

If the hurricane is strong enough, you should never ignore an evacuation order. Obviously, you can’t take everything with you from your home so take only the things you truly need such as:

  • Clothes
  • Home Medical Equipment, if applicable
  • Living will
  • Personal information
  • Medications
  • Some food
  • First Aid kit
  • Cellular Phone

Hopefully, the hurricane doesn’t do much damage to your home when you return.  Things to do before evacuating would be to:

  • Turn off utilities like gas, water and electricity
  • Disconnect appliances
  • Make sure your vehicle is ready to go with a full tank of fuel and other fluid levels topped off

When you are ready to evacuate, make sure your vehicle is packed up, family or friends are ready to go and your home medical equipment is with you. Follow the designated evacuation routes your city has planned out. Don’t rush traffic as it will take time to get where you’re going since everybody else will be leaving too.

If you have nowhere else to go, consider finding a public shelter and take your essentials, as listed above, with you in case you need them until the storm passes over.

Brevard Medical Equipment can help you make sure your current medical equipment is in working order and we can also set up travel equipment as well.  Contact us today if you need help with service or set up traveling equipment.

In Case of Emergency: Hurricane Readiness Part 1

Posted on: September 10th, 2013 by BrevardBlogger No Comments

A natural disaster can happen at any second, of any day, of any month or of any year.  A natural disaster could affect your home, business and your family. September is National Preparedness Month and being prepared for any situation may not seem logical to think about now, but it could help in case of any disaster. Brevard Medical Equipment would like to share with you how to be prepared for a hurricane in Florida, in case of emergency.

As you may know, a hurricane is a tropical storm that includes tornado-like winds and thunderstorms, or it’s called a cyclone.  Hurricanes can be very strong, produce high speed winds and cause a lot of damage; even death.  What do you get and prepare for if you stay at your home during a low-risk hurricane?

Make sure to stock your home with plenty of food, water and additional supplies if you stay in your home.  Stock your pantry with non-perishable food items like dry milk, canned fruits and juices, canned meats, peanut butter, bread, cereal and non-perishable food items in case you have a pet to care for too.

Make sure to protect important documents like living wills or power of attorneys, insurance information, investments, bank information and personal information by putting them in protective sleeves, zip-lock bags or a safe to protect from the hurricane elements.

You should consider getting a refill on your prescriptions to make sure you have enough to make it through a hurricane storm.  Also, have an adequate supply of batteries, a flashlight, sanitary or beauty supplies, extra set of home and car keys, change of clothes and a list of important phone numbers. If applicable, consider getting a gas powered generator to help with refilling your oxygen tanks or helping you sleep at night with your CPAP machine.

If you have any home medical equipment needs such as oxygen or CPAP masks or machines, consider having back-ups ready to go in case of the power shutting off and you are unable to refill your oxygen or breathe easily during the night.  Brevard Medical Equipment will be able to assist you get the right products you’ll need to prepare for the storm.