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Want to find out if pharmacies in your area are open during Hurricane Sandy or other disasters? A useful online tool we discovered is from a group called Rx Response, which has just activated its emergency response system in preparation for Hurricane Sandy.
Here, you can see on a detailed map which drugstores are open and their address, if they participate in the program. The map currently shows, for example, several pharmacies have already closed in lower Manhattan and along parts of New Jersey and Brooklyn.
The group is an effort between a number of pharmacy associations and biopharmaceutical groups as well as the American Red Cross, and came about after Hurricane Katrina to provide a single source of information for the industry as a disaster unfolds. They also post an ongoing Situation Report that compiles updated information about transportation, pharmacy status and evacuation information. Although that information may be geared mostly for drug distributors and pharmacy support companies, you may find it useful as well.
[ Sources ]
Rx Response detailed pharmacy status map [ Rx Response ]
Rx Response Hurricane Sandy situation report [Rx Response]
[Additional links]
Safe drug use after a natural disaster [Food and Drug Administration]
Disaster preparation and recovery [National Institutes of Health]
Tips for emergency preparedness for people with diabetes [American Diabetes Association]
Be prepared for an emergency [ Consumer Reports ]
