Additions to your Emergency Supplies Kit and Go Bag:

• Necessary medications and supplies
• Extra mobility aids, including a manual wheelchair
• A whistle to signal for help
• Food for special dietary needs
• Special sanitary needs
• Important medical phone numbers
• Make a list of your medications, medical conditions, insurance information, allergies, and have your insurance cards available. Keep copies in your Emergency Supplies Kit and your Go Bag, and give a copy to someone else for safekeeping.

Other considerations for disabled persons:

Set up a personal support network:  Select someone who can check on you during an emergency and who will help with sheltering-in-place or evacuation. You should be comfortable sharing your health history and needs with the people you choose to be part of your network. Make sure you discuss plans with these people before an emergency occurs.

Personal care assistance:  If you receive assistance from a home healthcare agency or in-home support provider, find out how the provider will respond in an emergency. Designate back-up or alternative providers that you can contact in an emergency.

For persons using a wheelchair:  Plan for how you will evacuate in an emergency and discuss it with your care providers. If you use a motorized wheelchair, have a manual wheelchair as a back-up.

Medication & medical supplies: Keep a supply of at least 7 days worth of any medication or critical medical supplies, such as oxygen. Talk to your oxygen supply company about emergency replacements. If you rely on electric medical equipment, such as wheelchairs, ventilators and oxygen compressors, talk to your medical supply company about getting batteries or a generator as a back-up power source.

For persons who are blind or visually impaired: Keep an extra collapsible cane by your bed. Attach a whistle to the cane, which you could use if you need to attract attention.

For persons who are hearing impaired: Keep extra batteries for your hearing aids with your Emergency Supplies Kit. Consider storing your hearing aids in a container on your nightstand or attached to bedpost, so you can locate them quickly during an emergency.

Service animals: If you have a service animal, make sure that it has a registered tag.