American Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery provides shelter and helps you search for missing loved ones. They also offer recovery resources during and after a disaster. The free Emergency App can help you be better prepared in the event of an emergency or disaster.DisasterAssistance.gov offers information, support and services. If needed, they can connect you to extra help via FEMA. Explore FEMA assistance. You may be eligible for expanded assistance if your accessibility items are damaged.Access year-long, 24/7 counseling and support through SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline. The helpline aids people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters. Visit USA.gov to learn about disaster relief and find government benefits for other emergencies.Salvation Army Disaster Relief Services provides social services, administers emotional and spiritual care and, in some areas, distributes meals, hygiene kits and supplies. The non profit Laughing at My Nightmare provides financial help. Funding is for people with disabilities affected by a natural disaster.Find free legal help and help filing for disaster benefits through the list of state-specific disaster legal hotlines compiled by the American Bar Association. For those insured by Medicare, the Getting Care in a Disaster or Emergency page from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services includes information on obtaining care, medications, durable medical equipment and supplies during a disaster. Connect with a compassionate, trained community specialist at your local 2-1-1 agency. The specialist can help you access the best local resources to address your needs.
Plan Ahead
Make a plan with the members of your household, so that you will be ready should disaster strike. Read FEMA’s blog, 8 Ways People with Disabilities Can Become More Disaster Resilient.
The following steps will guide you through the planning process:
- Review your situation. Every emergency or disaster plan is unique, just as everyone’s life is unique. As you plan, consider:
- The hazards and disasters that could affect your area
- The distinct needs of your household
- Your abilities — as they are when you are most vulnerable
- Plan for a range of emergencies. You will want to think about disasters that:
- Affect you uniquely, such as a heat wave or drought with water restrictions
- Affect only your home, such as a fire
- Affect the whole region, such as a blizzard
For information specific to your region, consult your emergency management agency or office. Refer to the advice below on several types of disasters.
- Make sure household members agree on:
- Multiple exit routes from your home
- A meeting place outside your home
- An emergency contact outside your region who can relay information to other family members and friends in case local phone systems are overloaded or out of service
- Create a preparedness kit. The government website Ready.gov can connect you with free preparedness materials.
- What about your pets or service animals? Have a plan in place for them. The Humane Society's Disaster Preparedness for Pets or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guide can help.
- Practice. Have a drill to see if your plan works. Review it every 6 months. This is especially important if:
- Your household includes children or elderly people
- Your condition changes
- You are prone to memory difficulties
- Enable your mobile device to receive wireless emergency alerts from the National Weather Service. Sign-up is not required. The National Weather Service sends WEA messages for extreme winds, flash floods, hurricanes/typhoons, severe thunderstorms, snow squalls, storm surges and tornado warnings.
- Download the FEMA App to get preparedness strategies and real-time weather and emergency alerts.
- For more advice, watch our webinar Ask an MS Expert: Preparing for Natural Disasters When Living with MS (youtube.com).
Establish a Support System
Get to know your neighbors. It is one of the best things you can do to promote neighborhood safety. Talk over your emergency plans with them. Neighbors, along with friends and colleagues, can boost your morale and help you cope during challenging times.
Knowing local police and firefighters is a good policy, too. But bear in mind that in a big emergency, these workers will be deployed for specific functions.
Keep contact information for your key supporters in your phone or wallet and personal emergency kit.
Prepare at Work or School
At the Office
Talk with your company's designated safety director. If your company does not have one, ask if the building has an on-site safety director. Ask about emergency exits and go over the evacuation plans. Keep in mind:
- If you have any mobility issues or cognitive symptoms, you will need a support network of co-workers willing to be your designated helpers.
- If you use a wheelchair or scooter, several able-bodied people would be needed to help you evacuate.
If you work for a large company, a formal plan might be in place. You may even have had a drill. Still, you need to make sure that the plan covers your requirements. For example, you might not normally need a wheelchair, but during an emergency, you may be more vulnerable and require one.
If your employer does not have an inclusive plan, share the following resources with your Human Resources department:
At School
At college or university, get to know the staff of the disability services office and what they offer. High school students and a parent or guardian should schedule a meeting about emergency plans with the principal or academic advisor.
Review Disaster-Specific Advice
Fire
- Install smoke detectors and test them on occasion. Change the batteries once a year — on New Year's Day or when Daylight Saving Time begins, for instance.
- Contact your local fire department for brochures on fire prevention. Learn how to protect yourself in a fire and ask about home safety checkups.
- Keep a fire extinguisher in your home.
- Know of at least 2 exits from every room in your house.
- Keep a phone near your bed and be ready to call 9-1-1 should a fire start at night. Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1.
- If your mobility is impaired, try to live on the ground floor. If you live in a multi-story home, arrange to sleep on the ground floor.
- If you cannot move from your bed without help, consider installing an outdoor smoke alarm with a strobe light to alert neighbors. Or consider an emergency call system. You might also store a fire blanket in your bedside cabinet.
Power Outage
- Ask your utility company for any information on power outages, including planned or rolling outages. Visit your utility company’s website to see if you can sign up for outage updates by text, email or phone.
- Visit Ready.gov’s “How To Protect Yourself During a Power Outage.”
- Make sure you have a flashlight with fresh batteries for every family member. Consider buying battery-powered camp lanterns. If you light candles, do not leave them burning unattended.
- If your stove does not work, use a camp stove or charcoal grill outside only.
Earthquake
- Ask your local emergency management agency for information on earthquake safety.
- Stay inside unless the building seems like it might collapse, or you smell gas.
- Stay away from tall objects that could fall over.
- Turn off all lights and electrical devices. Do not light candles or use matches until emergency personnel assess the gas lines. Stay informed by listening to your battery-operated radio.
- Even if you cannot get out of bed, you can protect yourself. Never install pictures, mirrors or heavy objects over the head of your bed. During a quake, cover your head with pillows and blankets.
Flood or Hurricane
- Find out which shelters are best prepared to manage your needs and where they are located. Remember that special-needs shelters may be limited.
- Listen to your battery-powered radio.
Tornado
- Listen to your battery-operated radio, and when warned to do so, go to the basement or tornado shelter.
- If there is no basement or you are unable to go downstairs, take shelter in a closet or a bathroom with no windows. Take pillows and blankets. Cover yourself with a mattress if you can.
Volcano
- Listen to emergency information and alerts.
- Follow evacuation orders from local authorities. Evacuate early.
- Avoid areas downwind, and river valleys downstream, of the volcano.
- Take temporary shelter.
- Avoid driving in heavy ash fall.
Assemble Emergency Kits
Keep an emergency kit at home, at work and in your car. The lists below will guide you in assembling kits for each location.
At Home
- Keep in a sturdy, easy-to-reach box:
- A battery-operated radio with extra batteries
- A flashlight with extra batteries
- A supply of water, one gallon per person per day. Water should be in sealed, unbreakable containers, and replaced every 6 months.
- A supply of non-perishable packaged or canned food and a non-electric can opener
- A change of clothing, rain gear and sturdy shoes
- Blankets or a sleeping bag
- A first-aid kit
- Dust masks
- A whistle, to signal for help
Keep in a small, easy-to-reach shoulder bag, pouch or knapsack:
- Cash and a credit card
- A fully charged, disposable cell phone and a back-up cell phone charger
- An extra set of car keys
- An extra pair of glasses
- Bottled water and some non-perishable, high-energy food, such as granola bars or peanut butter
- A first-aid kit
- A complete list of the prescription drugs you take. Include name, strength and prescription number, plus pharmacy name, address and phone number
- Get a note from your healthcare provider about any other special needs you have. Consider getting an MS identification card as well.
- A list of your healthcare providers, family members and support network members with phone numbers
- A list of names and model numbers of any medical devices
- Copies of your health insurance cards
- Phone numbers of key services, including the local emergency management agency, ambulance service, telephone and utility repair, electrician, plumber, building manager, superintendent or landlord and the Society.
In the Car
Keep a bag, pouch or knapsack containing everything in the kit described above, plus the following:
- Battery-powered radio and flashlight with extra batteries
- Blanket
- Maps
Keep booster cables, a shovel, flares and a tire repair kit and pump in your trunk.
At Work
- Keep a bag, pouch or knapsack with:
- A battery-operated radio with extra batteries
- A flashlight with extra batteries
- Enough food and water to shelter in place for at least 24 hours
- A complete list of the prescription drugs you take. Include name, strength and prescription number, plus pharmacy name, address and phone number.
- Contact information for family members and support network
- Comfortable walking shoes
If You Must Evacuate...
Grab the box and bag with your emergency kits, cell phone and prescription medications, including any in your refrigerator. If you use a manual wheelchair, take a tool kit. For motorized scooters, take the battery-pack charger. Contact your designated communicator and put your plans into action.
After the Emergency
You are used to being in a certain environment and managing there. A disaster can change that. You might have trouble managing because your environment has changed. Your capabilities may have also changed due to stress. You might need to ask for help putting your home back in order or filling out forms for disaster-relief agencies — things you would have done by yourself beforehand.
Explore USA.gov to learn more about recovering from a disaster.
You, your carepartner or family members might experience anxiety, irritability, depression, isolation or guilt after an ordeal. Flashbacks, anger and sleep disruption are common. You might experience physical changes, including weakness, numbness or tingling, a heavy feeling in the arms, tremors, fatigue or an increase in allergies, colds or flu. You may notice cognitive changes such as poor concentration, confusion, slowed thinking, forgetfulness and reduced ability to make decisions. Many of these symptoms are the same as an MS relapse. If you experience any of them, consult your healthcare provider.
How the Society Can Help
MS Navigators are highly skilled, compassionate professionals who help connect you to the information, resources and support needed to move your life with multiple sclerosis forward. These supportive partners help you navigate the challenges of MS that are unique to your situation.
To connect with an MS Navigator:
- Call 1-800-344-4867 to schedule an appointment.
- Complete the contact form
- Chat: MS Navigators are available Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. to answer your questions, or schedule an appointment to tackle more complicated challenges.
" c-nmssatomrichtext_nmssatomrichtext-host="">Scroll down to read information about the following topics:
- Facing Emergencies With Multiple Sclerosis
- Direct Emergency Assistance
- Plan Ahead
- Establish a Support System
- Prepare at Work or School
- Review Disaster-Specific Advice
- Assemble Emergency Kits
- If You Must Evacuate…
- After the Emergency
- How the Society Can Help
Facing Emergencies With Multiple Sclerosis
Hurricanes, floods, fires, blizzards, earthquakes, ice storms, mudslides, heat waves, power outages: They naturally cause concern, but you don’t have to panic. Living with MS every day teaches us how to handle the unexpected. With planning, you can feel confident in any situation.
Direct Emergency Assistance
When disaster strikes, turn to these resources for physical and emotional support:
- American Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery provides shelter and helps you search for missing loved ones. They also offer recovery resources during and after a disaster. The free Emergency App can help you be better prepared in the event of an emergency or disaster.
- DisasterAssistance.gov offers information, support and services. If needed, they can connect you to extra help via FEMA.
- Explore FEMA assistance. You may be eligible for expanded assistance if your accessibility items are damaged.
- Access year-long, 24/7 counseling and support through SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline. The helpline aids people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.
- Visit USA.gov to learn about disaster relief and find government benefits for other emergencies.
- Salvation Army Disaster Relief Services provides social services, administers emotional and spiritual care and, in some areas, distributes meals, hygiene kits and supplies.
- The non profit Laughing at My Nightmare provides financial help. Funding is for people with disabilities affected by a natural disaster.
- Find free legal help and help filing for disaster benefits through the list of state-specific disaster legal hotlines compiled by the American Bar Association.
- For those insured by Medicare, the Getting Care in a Disaster or Emergency page from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services includes information on obtaining care, medications, durable medical equipment and supplies during a disaster.
- Connect with a compassionate, trained community specialist at your local 2-1-1 agency. The specialist can help you access the best local resources to address your needs.
Plan Ahead
Make a plan with the members of your household, so that you will be ready should disaster strike. Read FEMA’s blog, 8 Ways People with Disabilities Can Become More Disaster Resilient.
The following steps will guide you through the planning process:
- Review your situation. Every emergency or disaster plan is unique, just as everyone’s life is unique. As you plan, consider:
- The hazards and disasters that could affect your area
- The distinct needs of your household
- Your abilities — as they are when you are most vulnerable
- Plan for a range of emergencies. You will want to think about disasters that:
- Affect you uniquely, such as a heat wave or drought with water restrictions
- Affect only your home, such as a fire
- Affect the whole region, such as a blizzard
For information specific to your region, consult your emergency management agency or office. Refer to the advice below on several types of disasters.
- Make sure household members agree on:
- Multiple exit routes from your home
- A meeting place outside your home
- An emergency contact outside your region who can relay information to other family members and friends in case local phone systems are overloaded or out of service
- Create a preparedness kit. The government website Ready.gov can connect you with free preparedness materials.
- What about your pets or service animals? Have a plan in place for them. The Humane Society's Disaster Preparedness for Pets or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guide can help.
- Practice. Have a drill to see if your plan works. Review it every 6 months. This is especially important if:
- Your household includes children or elderly people
- Your condition changes
- You are prone to memory difficulties
- Enable your mobile device to receive wireless emergency alerts from the National Weather Service. Sign-up is not required. The National Weather Service sends WEA messages for extreme winds, flash floods, hurricanes/typhoons, severe thunderstorms, snow squalls, storm surges and tornado warnings.
- Download the FEMA App to get preparedness strategies and real-time weather and emergency alerts.
- For more advice, watch our webinar Ask an MS Expert: Preparing for Natural Disasters When Living with MS (youtube.com).
Establish a Support System
Get to know your neighbors. It is one of the best things you can do to promote neighborhood safety. Talk over your emergency plans with them. Neighbors, along with friends and colleagues, can boost your morale and help you cope during challenging times.
Knowing local police and firefighters is a good policy, too. But bear in mind that in a big emergency, these workers will be deployed for specific functions.
Keep contact information for your key supporters in your phone or wallet and personal emergency kit.
Prepare at Work or School
At the Office
Talk with your company's designated safety director. If your company does not have one, ask if the building has an on-site safety director. Ask about emergency exits and go over the evacuation plans. Keep in mind:
- If you have any mobility issues or cognitive symptoms, you will need a support network of co-workers willing to be your designated helpers.
- If you use a wheelchair or scooter, several able-bodied people would be needed to help you evacuate.
If you work for a large company, a formal plan might be in place. You may even have had a drill. Still, you need to make sure that the plan covers your requirements. For example, you might not normally need a wheelchair, but during an emergency, you may be more vulnerable and require one.
If your employer does not have an inclusive plan, share the following resources with your Human Resources department:
At School
At college or university, get to know the staff of the disability services office and what they offer. High school students and a parent or guardian should schedule a meeting about emergency plans with the principal or academic advisor.
Review Disaster-Specific Advice
Fire
- Install smoke detectors and test them on occasion. Change the batteries once a year — on New Year's Day or when Daylight Saving Time begins, for instance.
- Contact your local fire department for brochures on fire prevention. Learn how to protect yourself in a fire and ask about home safety checkups.
- Keep a fire extinguisher in your home.
- Know of at least 2 exits from every room in your house.
- Keep a phone near your bed and be ready to call 9-1-1 should a fire start at night. Teach children how and when to call 9-1-1.
- If your mobility is impaired, try to live on the ground floor. If you live in a multi-story home, arrange to sleep on the ground floor.
- If you cannot move from your bed without help, consider installing an outdoor smoke alarm with a strobe light to alert neighbors. Or consider an emergency call system. You might also store a fire blanket in your bedside cabinet.
Power Outage
- Ask your utility company for any information on power outages, including planned or rolling outages. Visit your utility company’s website to see if you can sign up for outage updates by text, email or phone.
- Visit Ready.gov’s “How To Protect Yourself During a Power Outage.”
- Make sure you have a flashlight with fresh batteries for every family member. Consider buying battery-powered camp lanterns. If you light candles, do not leave them burning unattended.
- If your stove does not work, use a camp stove or charcoal grill outside only.
Earthquake
- Ask your local emergency management agency for information on earthquake safety.
- Stay inside unless the building seems like it might collapse, or you smell gas.
- Stay away from tall objects that could fall over.
- Turn off all lights and electrical devices. Do not light candles or use matches until emergency personnel assess the gas lines. Stay informed by listening to your battery-operated radio.
- Even if you cannot get out of bed, you can protect yourself. Never install pictures, mirrors or heavy objects over the head of your bed. During a quake, cover your head with pillows and blankets.
Flood or Hurricane
- Find out which shelters are best prepared to manage your needs and where they are located. Remember that special-needs shelters may be limited.
- Listen to your battery-powered radio.
Tornado
- Listen to your battery-operated radio, and when warned to do so, go to the basement or tornado shelter.
- If there is no basement or you are unable to go downstairs, take shelter in a closet or a bathroom with no windows. Take pillows and blankets. Cover yourself with a mattress if you can.
Volcano
- Listen to emergency information and alerts.
- Follow evacuation orders from local authorities. Evacuate early.
- Avoid areas downwind, and river valleys downstream, of the volcano.
- Take temporary shelter.
- Avoid driving in heavy ash fall.
Assemble Emergency Kits
Keep an emergency kit at home, at work and in your car. The lists below will guide you in assembling kits for each location.
At Home
- Keep in a sturdy, easy-to-reach box:
- A battery-operated radio with extra batteries
- A flashlight with extra batteries
- A supply of water, one gallon per person per day. Water should be in sealed, unbreakable containers, and replaced every 6 months.
- A supply of non-perishable packaged or canned food and a non-electric can opener
- A change of clothing, rain gear and sturdy shoes
- Blankets or a sleeping bag
- A first-aid kit
- Dust masks
- A whistle, to signal for help
Keep in a small, easy-to-reach shoulder bag, pouch or knapsack:
- Cash and a credit card
- A fully charged, disposable cell phone and a back-up cell phone charger
- An extra set of car keys
- An extra pair of glasses
- Bottled water and some non-perishable, high-energy food, such as granola bars or peanut butter
- A first-aid kit
- A complete list of the prescription drugs you take. Include name, strength and prescription number, plus pharmacy name, address and phone number
- Get a note from your healthcare provider about any other special needs you have. Consider getting an MS identification card as well.
- A list of your healthcare providers, family members and support network members with phone numbers
- A list of names and model numbers of any medical devices
- Copies of your health insurance cards
- Phone numbers of key services, including the local emergency management agency, ambulance service, telephone and utility repair, electrician, plumber, building manager, superintendent or landlord and the Society.
In the Car
Keep a bag, pouch or knapsack containing everything in the kit described above, plus the following:
- Battery-powered radio and flashlight with extra batteries
- Blanket
- Maps
Keep booster cables, a shovel, flares and a tire repair kit and pump in your trunk.
At Work
- Keep a bag, pouch or knapsack with:
- A battery-operated radio with extra batteries
- A flashlight with extra batteries
- Enough food and water to shelter in place for at least 24 hours
- A complete list of the prescription drugs you take. Include name, strength and prescription number, plus pharmacy name, address and phone number.
- Contact information for family members and support network
- Comfortable walking shoes
If You Must Evacuate...
Grab the box and bag with your emergency kits, cell phone and prescription medications, including any in your refrigerator. If you use a manual wheelchair, take a tool kit. For motorized scooters, take the battery-pack charger. Contact your designated communicator and put your plans into action.
After the Emergency
You are used to being in a certain environment and managing there. A disaster can change that. You might have trouble managing because your environment has changed. Your capabilities may have also changed due to stress. You might need to ask for help putting your home back in order or filling out forms for disaster-relief agencies — things you would have done by yourself beforehand.
Explore USA.gov to learn more about recovering from a disaster.
You, your carepartner or family members might experience anxiety, irritability, depression, isolation or guilt after an ordeal. Flashbacks, anger and sleep disruption are common. You might experience physical changes, including weakness, numbness or tingling, a heavy feeling in the arms, tremors, fatigue or an increase in allergies, colds or flu. You may notice cognitive changes such as poor concentration, confusion, slowed thinking, forgetfulness and reduced ability to make decisions. Many of these symptoms are the same as an MS relapse. If you experience any of them, consult your healthcare provider.
How the Society Can Help
MS Navigators are highly skilled, compassionate professionals who help connect you to the information, resources and support needed to move your life with multiple sclerosis forward. These supportive partners help you navigate the challenges of MS that are unique to your situation.
To connect with an MS Navigator:
- Call 1-800-344-4867 to schedule an appointment.
- Complete the contact form
- Chat: MS Navigators are available Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. to answer your questions, or schedule an appointment to tackle more complicated challenges.