Expert explains how to prepare for natural disasters

When it floods, you’ve heard the saying before, “turn around, don’t drown.” CEO of Direct Relief Thomas Tighe said don’t risk another sign to avoid becoming a victim.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — When it floods, you’ve heard the saying before, “turn around, don’t drown.” CEO of Direct Relief Thomas Tighe said don’t risk another sign to avoid becoming a victim.

"The people who are most vulnerable in emergencies are the people who are vulnerable the day before," Tighe said.

Direct Relief responds to worldwide disasters to help victims after a tragedy strikes, but it’s what you can do before that Tighe said can also save you a lot of pain.

“I think it's really important for those who have an ongoing prescription medication, to write it down, write down on a piece of paper, the dosage, the drug, the dosage, the strength, the prescribing physician and the phone number, and make a digital copy of that," Tighe advised.

A survey from Direct Relief found “a significant portion of people would either have difficulty continuing their medications or finding aid for their illness during an emergency.”

• Three in four people (76%) would worry about their health if they could not access their medications during an emergency, and concern increases with age. Nearly nine in 10 (87%) people 77 or older would worry if they couldn’t access their medications in an emergency; yet, a little more than a third (37%) said they would have a week or less of medication on hand if they had to evacuate right now.
• Over seven in 10 (72%) Americans do not have a backup supply of critical medications, and nearly eight in 10 (78%) do not have accessible medical records and copies of prescription information.
• One in two (50%) Americans have not put their medical documents online in case they lose access to other forms of documentation during an emergency.
• Americans, on average, ranked their medication refills as their third-most pressing concern and getting access to medical care as their fifth-most pressing concern, while people ages 65+ ranked medication refills as their second most pressing concern — above their pets.
• About half (47%) of Americans with a chronic medical condition would not know where to access medication during an emergency.

Tighe said having a list of all medications before a disaster hits can be life saving.

“That's a really easy, important step for everyone to take,” he said. “Unfortunately, we see the consequences of that not happening. What’s a chronic condition well-managed can become an acute crises if unmanaged.”