Individuals diagnosed with myasthenia gravis face additional difficulties when dealing with a natural disaster or other emergency. Preparing as much as you can in advance is essential to your safety and wellbeing. These steps can help you prepare for the worst.
- Have a “go bag” packed and ready to go. Include important health documents in a large plastic bag. This should include a list of your current medications with appropriate dosage, frequency, and name of drugs. Include a list of your medical providers as well as MG-friendly providers in your evacuation area, if you are leaving your home (view the MGFA’s Partners in MG Care list for some options).
- Ensure you have at least two weeks of medications on hand.
- Print out your MGFA emergency card in case you need EMT or other medical assistance.
- Ensure you have the MG cautionary drug list in case you need to educate a doctor or EMT.
- Talk with your doctor and care teams now to determine how effectively to manage your care plan, especially if your usual facilities (such as infusion centers) are damaged or closed.
- Register with a special-needs shelter if you will need to evacuate. Many will have electricity for your medical equipment.
- If you have pets, ensure you have a plan for how you will care for them in an emergency. Consider a “go bag” for your pets, too, with food, any tags or medical records, and any medications.
- Cooling devices such as cooling towels, neck fans, battery-operated portable air conditioners, and even bags of ice are helpful if the power goes out.
- Ensure portable oxygen tanks are secured. Make sure you have back-up batteries for medical equipment.
- Ensure you have a way to open your garage door manually should the power go out. For those with arm weakness, seek out tools to make this easier or make a plan with a neighbor to help out.
- Solar-powered chargers for cell phones are extremely helpful to access emergency alerts and stay in touch with loved one and emergency personnel.
- Satellite service is now available on iPhone 14 and higher, with version 18.0 IOS, in case cell towers are impacted.
- Have plenty of battery-operated lighting so you can move safely around your home in case of a power outage.
- Let your loved ones know your plan so they can reach out after the storm or other natural disaster.
Here are several resources that may be helpful in preparing for or dealing with the aftermath of a natural disaster.
- Call the MGFA Helpline at 833-647-8764 or send an email to MGFA@myasthenia.org to access guidance on any external resources and assistance that you may need. We are here to help.