Thursday, March 28, 2024

It’s Tornado and Hurricane season – be prepared!

Pat Hinnaway
Pat Hinnawy

By: Pat El-Hinnawy

Bottles of water? Check.

Food for the family? Check.

Dad’s blood pressure medicine? Check.

Grandma’s heart monitor? Check.

It’s tornado and hurricane season again.

Anyone who lived through or watched the recent Texas and Oklahoma tornados or Hurricane Sandy last year knows the horrific consequences that can follow major storms.

As we enter the tornado and hurricane season, keep in mind that good planning can help ease the burden on you and your family if and when bad weather comes your way.

The FDA prepared a simple checklist to help families prepare for large storms. It shows what steps to take to protect those products you have and to make the right choices as you prepare for this year’s bad weather. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says it’s always best to start with a plan and an emergency kit.

For more tips on how to protect your FDA-regulated items, see  FDA’s Hurricane Safety Checklist

After the storm has passed, it’s time to pitch in and put your homes and neighborhood back in working order. The FDA field investigators contact local regulated firms that produce or process food, medicines, medical equipment, vaccines and other medical supplies.

We work with those firms to make sure their products can still meet FDA’s standards before they’re sent to market. For foods, this means the products are safe, wholesome and correctly labeled. For medical products it means they are safe and effective.

We also regularly train for emergencies, and we practice responding to a wide range of incidents, including hurricanes. Recently, we held a hurricane season training session for more than 200 staffers from around the country.

No one can control where or when tornados or hurricanes may strike. But at the FDA we can, and do, prepare for major storms – and so can you.

Pat El-Hinnawy is a Public Affairs Specialist in FDA’s Office of External Affairs

 

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