Less than a month after Hurricane Florence slammed the Carolinas, the Southern states are bracing for another storm — Hurricane Michael — which is intensifying as it inches closer to the U.S. coastline. The storm strengthened to a Category 4 just hours before it was expected to hit the Florida Panhandle Oct. 10, according to CNN.
The hurricane is expected to produce storm surges up to 12 feet, dump about a foot of rain over many Florida communities and deliver devastating wind gusts as it moves inland, according to forecasters.
Before the hurricane's landfall, here are four ways pharmacies and hospitals are preparing:
1. Medication refills. Pharmacies are urging customers to get an extra 30-day supply of any medication. Since there is a state of emergency declared in parts of Florida, Alabama and Georgia, pharmacists there can refill prescriptions without a prescriber's refill authorization.
2. Mobile pharmacies. Walgreens is staging temporary mobile pharmacies near the affected region that will be deployed if any drugstores are damaged or unable to reopen quickly.
3. Stocking supplies. Many hospitals, including South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta, activated their emergency operations plan Oct. 9 in preparation for Hurricane Michael, WALB 10 News reports. South Georgia Medical Center has received extra shipments of fuel, food, medicine and supplies to carry operations through the first 96 hours after the storm's onset.
4. Pharmacist recommendations. Pharmacists have recommended that patients carry any current medications in a waterproof bag. Even if the bottle is empty, having the correct dosage and medication information will help pharmacists with any refill requests.