How do you keep medications and medical devices working when the power goes out?

After a hurricane or other disaster, it can be hard to find an open pharmacy, so refill as soon as a storm is in the forecast, and aim for at least 7 to 10 days of every prescription.¹² Keep a written list of your medicines, their doses and your device settings.¹

Insulin can stay out of the fridge for a limited time if it's kept between 59°F and 86°F: from about 10 days to 8 weeks depending on the product.³ Check the package insert now, and ask your pharmacist how any other medicine you keep in the fridge holds up without it.²³ Heat makes insulin less effective, so if you've had to use insulin that got warmer than 86°F, check your blood sugar more often and throw away that insulin once the emergency is over.⁴ Keep it in a cooler with ice packs, but don't let it freeze, since frozen insulin can break down and shouldn't be used.⁴

A home oxygen concentrator runs on electricity, so ask your supplier for an emergency oxygen tank that needs none.⁵ While you're using oxygen, light the house with flashlights rather than candles, to lower the risk of fire.⁵ For a concentrator or a CPAP machine, find out from the maker whether it can run on a battery or a generator.⁶ Never run a generator inside, even with the windows open, because its exhaust carries carbon monoxide, a poison you can't see or smell that can kill within minutes.⁷⁸ Set the generator outdoors, more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents.⁷ If your backup is about to run out, or your breathing gets worse, get to a health care facility.⁶

Dialysis takes the most planning, since no battery or cooler can stand in for a treatment. Ask your center now about its disaster plan and which nearby center could treat you if it closes.⁹ When you can't get a treatment, water and waste build up in your body, and rising potassium can affect your heartbeat.⁹¹⁰ A strict 3-day emergency diet limits that buildup, so go over it with your center's dietitian and keep the foods on hand.⁹ The diet does not replace dialysis, so try to get treatment within 3 days of your last one.⁹