Evacuation Prep for Ostomates in FL

My thoughts, like so many others, are with FL. I'm curious as to what preparation do ostomates take. How many supplies are necessary to pack? What about having to go to a shelter? My heart goes out to any ostomates in the path of this horrible hurricane. We don't worry about hurricanes where I live, but earthquakes are always a possibility....that's why I have these questions. God bless everyone affected, and if there is an ostomate who can satisfy my curiosity, I would welcome your reply.

Hello MOST52.

Thanks for raising this topical and interesting question.

I have no experience of this type of thing but I would be preparing in a similar way to going on a longhaul flight or an extended holiday.

I always keep an emergency bag handy, which is also my carry-on baggage for flights. the products are routinely used and replenished so that if I had to evacuate in a hurry, I would have supplies for at least a week. What I would do after that is anyone's guess.

Best wishes

Bill

MOST52 G, morning. This is a very touchy subject, being that it's still happening. I too have never experienced it, but I agree with Bill. I would have extra supplies, which I keep on hand anyway. But in a situation like that, who knows what the shelter is like if they have never been? One can only go by what the ones that have been there and survived said. My heart goes out, not limited to ostomates but all human beings!! Have a good evening! Angelicamarie

Good morning, Bill.

I also have a grab 'n' go large tote bag, containing 3 wafers and 5 pouches and necessary stuff like wipes, powder, etc. But an event like Harvey and Irma makes me ask myself a lot of questions. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for your post, Angelicamarie. By the way, I love that name. Needless to say, I hope to never have to face emergency evacuation. I have deep empathy for those people.

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Growing up in South Louisiana (WAY south, below New Orleans), I am very familiar with the whole shelter routine. That was, of course, pre-stoma days (yay, Kentucky, these days!). But putting together what I know from then with what I know from now, the first thing to do would be to pack a medical supplies bag with EVERYTHING you currently have. If you have 4 boxes of pouches, take them out of the boxes, compress them in the smallest space possible, and do the same with all your other supplies, medications, and miscellaneous (adhesive remover wipes, stoma powder - everything you might need). After the hurricane passes, everything is disrupted for quite a while, and while you might be able to replace common medications easily, getting new stoma supplies could be a challenge. It may well be weeks before you are allowed to return home - assuming there is a home to return to.

When Katrina was coming, it was originally supposed to go inland in Florida, so my mother packed a bag for about 4 days and came to visit, just to be safe (we were living in Baton Rouge at the time). You know what happened after that - it hit Louisiana instead. It was 6 weeks before they let my mother go back home, and there was no home left to go back to.

Whatever supplies you don't pack (because you don't think you will be there long) may be gone with the wind and the waves and must be replaced, at great cost, time, and effort on your part. Always better to be safe than sorry. If it turns out to be a false alarm, the worst that happens is you lugged a large bag around and people looked at you funny. Or not.

Apparently you have first-hand knowledge, living in hurricane country. Your advice sure makes a lot of sense. I was thinking 3-4 days of supplies would be sufficient, but your post convinced me otherwise. Thanks for the info, Dana