South Florida Physician Offers Sage Advice on Hurricane Preparedness for Both Before and After the Storm
To prepare for a hurricane, residents in hurricane-prone areas are urged to stock up on emergency supplies, learn about their local emergency plans, warning signals, and evacuation routes. However, one area that is often overlooked is ensuring continuity of medicines and healthcare. Physician Rene Reyes, MD offers his tips on how to best prepare -- medically -- for a hurricane. Hollywood, FL (PRWEB) June 19, 2007 -- To prepare for a hurricane, residents in hurricane-prone areas are urged to stock up on emergency supplies, learn about their local emergency plans, warning signals, and evacuation routes. However, one area that is often overlooked is ensuring continuity of medicines and healthcare. "When a storm hits, we all think about batteries and water, but we forget to include medications for ourselves, our families and our pets," said Rene Reyes, M.D. "Whether it be insulin, heart medication or a simple first-aid kit, it is important to make these items a priority when preparing for a storm. I recommend that patients always maintain their prescriptions up-to-date and keep them in their original bottles along with any other helpful medical information," continued Dr. Reyes. Patients should check how much medicine they have and get refills as soon as possible. If patients need to evacuate prior to refilling, they should take a waterproof bag with their current medications - even if the bottles are empty. The information on the bottle labels will help the pharmacist refill the medicine once they have arrived at their destination. The waterproof bag is helpful for protecting medicines against heat, humidity and sunlight that can degrade the effectiveness of the medicine. Additionally, patients should keep a written record of their current prescriptions and dosages with their other valuable papers, including their insurance cards, doctor's name and contact information. Dr. Reyes also urges his patients to ensure they have adequate supply of other medical equipment and supplies such as dentures, glucometers & strips, nebulizers, crutches, prostheses, etc. After an emergency Dr. Reyes encourages his patients to prevent common health risks associated with storms such as those from food, water and heat exhaustion. Individuals should not eat any food that may have come in contact with dirty water from floods or tidal surges, and refrigerators that have been without power should be cleaned out. Additionally, it is important to watch for the warning signs of heat exhaustion, which include heavy sweating, weakness, paleness, nausea and vomiting. "One of the main ways to prevent illness after a storm is to simply wash your hands," stated Dr. Reyes. Finding running water may be difficult, but keeping your hands clean will help you avoid getting sick. It is best to wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, but when water is not available, using alcohol-based hand sanitizers will do." About Rene A. Reyes, M.D.
Rene A. Reyes, MD is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and received his education at Barry University in Miami. He earned his Medical School degree at the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico and completed his Residency Training at New York University Downtown Hospital in New York City. Dr. Reyes was part of a research team at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and is the current Section Chief of Medicine at Memorial Regional Hospital South. He has been practicing Medicine in Hollywood for five years, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. His office is conveniently located adjacent Memorial Regional Hospital SOUTH at 3700 Washington Street, Suite # 404 Hollywood, FL 33021. For more information contact Dr. Reyes' office at (954) 983-3233. ###
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