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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.

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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??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