How to Get Ready for a Natural Disaster When You Have Cancer

Living through natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, or wildfires is especially stressful if you have cancer or are caring for someone with cancer.

How to prepare

• Ask your cancer care team about the possibility of getting an extra supply of medicines, or if you should consider having any special equipment on hand.
• If you are due for a treatment during the emergency, call your cancer care team to talk about options for getting to treatment or rescheduling.
• Make a list of medicines and try to keep taking them on schedule. Write down important phone numbers, such as for your doctors, clinic, and pharmacy. If you can’t get your medical records, write down everything you can remember about your treatment.
• Ask your health care team if you should get vaccinations for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, the flu, COVID-19, RSV, pneumococcus, tetanus, or other diseases that can sometimes come from unsafe conditions due to natural disasters.

Protect yourself from infection

People with cancer, especially if you’re in active treatment, are more at risk for infection. During a natural disaster, when you may be away from home, your regular routines have been disrupted, and you might not have reliable access to clean water, it’s even more important to take precautions to keep yourself safe from germs. Here are steps you can take:

• Protect yourself from germs by wearing a mask or face covering when recommended or mandated.
• Wash your hands as often as possible. If you can’t get soap and water, ask for alcohol hand sanitizers (at least 60% alcohol).
• Keep any cuts or wounds covered with bandages unless your doctor has told you otherwise.
• Don’t share toothbrushes or eating utensils or cups with anyone else. If there’s no safe water or you don’t know if the water is safe, drink only bottled water or water that has been boiled for 1 full minute and then cooled.
• Make sure all meats are thoroughly cooked and all fruits and vegetables are thoroughly washed in safe water. Don’t eat cooked foods that have been left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Where to find more information

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also has information and resources about disaster preparedness and what you can do to be as safe as possible, including:

• Helpful hints to plan and prepare for different types of natural disasters
• Safety tips to prevent getting hurt or sick after a natural disaster
• Educational materials on natural disasters, environmental and hazards, cleaning and hygiene, and other topics to build your knowledge on safety during major events