Be Prepared for Disaster BEFORE it Strikes

Recommended Checklist for Patients

Stay informed on the evolving event
Maintain an updated list of all personal physicians for you and your family members, including office phone numbers and after-hours or emergency contact numbers
Make decisions early about sheltering at home or locating appropriate shelter and medical services for family members who require special health care needs
Have at least one week's worth of medicine on hand, especially prescriptions, as needed for each family member
Charge cell phones ahead of the event
Create an emergency preparedness kit (see below)
In the event of an evacuation, take important family documents, such as insurance policies, mortgage papers and physician contact information with you.

Emergency Preparedness Kit Checklist (GetAGamePlan.org)
Personal Emergency Reference Card (American Medical Association)
Evacuation Guides (Louisiana State Police)

Assistive Technology (AT) - be prepared to evacuate with all AT devices and components necessary for independent daily living in the face of an emergency. LATAN offers this checklist of suggestions for users of AT

Call 1-888-LAHELPU (524-3578) for up to the minute information on obtaining food, water & shelter; volunteering for rescue/recovery efforts; prescription assistance; missing persons and more.

Parish Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness Contact Numbers

Web Resources and Links

Mercy Flight Southeast - http://www.mercyflightse.org/

A non-profit organization that has been in existence since 1983. Their mission is to provide free air transportation to children and adults with medical and other compelling humanitarian needs. 850+ plus pilots provide their time, fuel, and personal planes completely free to passengers. This organization manages requests for humanitarian flights in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Some of the services Mercy Flight Southeast provides include transporting cancer and burn patients, transporting transplant organs and transplant recipients, relocation of domestic violence victims, transporting of disabled and ill children to camps, disaster response through the Homeland Security Emergency Air Transport System, transport of adoptive and foster children and their guardians, transport of veterans for needed services, and other humanitarian purposes as needed. Please view two videos on YouTube at the following links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOtcnjFLvVs and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj-FF00NqL0

LA Governor's Office of Homeland Security - http://www.getagameplan.org/
When a hurricane strikes, will you be ready? It's critical that you are, for your safety and your family's. The key is to have a winning game plan. On this page, you'll find links to PDFs and web sites that can help you develop a simple but successful game plan for your family. That way, they'll know what to do, where to go and who to call when there's a hurricane.

American Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org/
Being prepared for emergencies is crucial at home, school, work and in your community. Disaster can strike quickly and without warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood, workplace or school or can confine you to your home. What would you do if basic services – water, gas, electricity or telephones – were cut off? Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone right away. The best way to make you and your family safer is to be prepared before disaster strikes.

Centers for Disease Control - http://www.cdc.gov/

Social Media: Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse
A humorous yet informative discussion on how to be prepared for any emergency.

Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network - http://www.latan.org
LATAN urges Louisiana residents who use Assistive Technology (AT) to make plans and become prepared to be able to evacuate with all AT devices and components necessary for independent daily living in the face of imminent flooding. In addition to being personally prepared for all disasters, LATAN offers this checklist of suggestions that users of AT can follow when faced with evacuation. For assistance with AT devices before, during, and after a disaster, please contact LATAN 225.925.9500 V/T or toll-free at 1.800.270.6185 V/T; or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

American Society of Safety Engineers - www.asse.org

Homeland Security's Web site -www.ready.gov
Resources, such as an Emergency Supply Checklist and an Emergency Plan and links to local information are available. For information in Spanish, visit www.listo.gov. Individuals can also call 1-800-BE-READY or 1-888-SE-LISTO for more emergency preparedness information.