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Preparing for Hurricane Marco & Tropical Storm Laura

Date: 08/24/20

Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura are projected to make landfall in Louisiana and have the potential to bring heavy rainfall and strong winds to parts of our state. Current forecasts show our state feeling the impact of Marco as early as tonight or tomorrow morning, and Laura as early as Tuesday evening. The Governor has declared a state of emergency, and it is important that you finalize your storm preparations today.

We are here to help our members.

At Louisiana Healthcare Connections, we take severe weather very seriously and are taking steps to prepare. To ensure our members are taken care of during the storm, we are reaching out to those with special health care needs to help prepare them in case they are affected. If you are a Louisiana Healthcare Connections member and you need help, please call us at 1-866-595-8133 (Hearing Loss: 711). 

Prepare your Medical Information Kit.

We encourage all members to create a Medical Information Kit. It is an important part of preparing for a hurricane. A Medical Information Kit helps you have key information on hand to protect your health and the health of your loved ones after a disaster. 

Your Medical Information Kit should include:

  • Your Louisiana Healthcare Connections member ID card
  • Your Medicaid member ID card
  • Names and phone numbers of your doctors
  • A list of your allergies and any health conditions 
  • Information about your medications:
    • Names of all medications: list dosages and times, the reason (or health condition) for each medication, and the name of the doctor who prescribed it (along with their phone number).
    • A seven-day supply (or more) of essential medications. Ask your doctor(s) about getting extra supplies of medications and extra copies of prescriptions in case of emergency.
    • Find out if your medications should be stored at certain temperatures. A medicine’s strength can sometimes weaken if stored at the wrong temperature, or if it is stored for too long.
    • If your doctor currently gives you treatments (such as methadone, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy), be sure to ask them how to prepare in the event of a disruption. 

Keep yourself and your family safe.

The storms may bring floodwaters. Please remember to avoid driving and walking through floodwaters, especially on roads and highways.

Because of COVID-19, understand that your planning may be different this year because of the need to protect yourself and others from the virus. The Louisiana Department of Health encourages you to follow these safety tips to protect yourself and your family:

  • Remember to wear your mask.
  • Stay six feet away from others.
  • Wash your hands often.
  • Try to minimize how many trips you take and how many family members join you on these errands.
  • Check on your neighbors and loved ones by phone as much as possible; if you do check on them in person, wear a mask and stay six feet apart.
  • Add personal safety items to your evacuation kit. These items should include hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol, bar or liquid soap; disinfectant wipes; and two masks for each person.

Know where to go for shelter.

Find out if your local public shelter is open in case you need to evacuate your home and go there. Remember, your shelter location may be different this year because of COVID-19.

If you do need to go to a disaster shelter, follow all CDC regulations for staying healthy and safe during the pandemic. Wear your mask and keep a safe distance between your family and others where possible.

If you plan to stay with others, please plan in advance how you can all protect yourselves from the virus. Have a clear plan in place to protect anyone in your household who is at higher risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19, including older adults or people who have underlying conditions such as diabetes, hypertension or cardiac disease.

Take care of yourself.

Dealing with disasters can cause stress and strong emotions, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is natural to feel anxiety, grief, and worry. Coping with these feelings and getting help when you need it will help you, your family and your community recover. You can call our special Keep Calm through COVID hotline. This connects you to trained, compassionate counselors who can offer support and who can direct you to mental health and substance abuse counseling services. Call 1-866-310-7977.

The Behavioral Health Recovery Outreach Line connects individuals to real-time support to avoid, prevent or intercept a crisis from occurring. This line offers recovery support 24/7/365 for those with substance use, mental health, mental illness or co-occurring disorders. Additionally, this line is focused on providing assistance to individuals in the healthcare field and as such they can access these services any day, any time. Call 1-833-333-1132 to speak with a qualified support provider who can connect you to trained specialists and clinicians in multiple languages.

We will continue to monitor this situation.

We will monitor Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura closely. We will act quickly to make sure affected members can easily replace medical equipment, refill prescriptions and get needed care. 

If you are a Louisiana Healthcare Connections member and you need help, please call us at 1-866-595-8133 (Hearing Loss: 711). 

Additional information about how to prepare your family for hurricane season can be found at www.GetAGamePlan.org.

Click here to review storm-ready guidance from the Louisiana Department of Health (PDF).