Photo credit: (discovermagazine.com, CSU/CIRA, & NOAA)

As we continue to witness the devastation left by Hurricane Helene, we are now facing another powerful storm—Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 hurricane that has struck Florida. Over 3 million people are currently without power, and the full extent of the damage is still being assessed. My heart goes out to those affected by both storms, and I sincerely hope that recovery comes swiftly for all. These back-to-back disasters remind us of the urgent need for preparedness, both physically and mentally.

A Case Study in Preparedness: Why It Matters

Each disaster presents an opportunity to learn, and the recent hurricanes Helene and Milton are no different. With Milton leaving millions without power, communication and coordination of help have already been severely limited, making preparedness all the more vital. Real-life emergencies often expose gaps in our plans and teach us lessons we couldn’t have anticipated. Preparedness isn’t about predicting every specific event but about developing adaptable plans—what we refer to as “overlays.”

These overlays are flexible frameworks that ideally cover 70% of common scenarios, allowing you to respond effectively even when variables are vast and unpredictable. With the right medical supplies and knowledge, you can address both sudden and escalating medical emergencies. This case study helps refine our overlay plans, preparing us for the most likely situations while still being ready for the unexpected—just as both Helene and Milton have shown us.

Medical Supplies: What You Need to Stay Prepared

Medical preparedness starts with having the right supplies on hand. In both hurricanes, access to hospitals, pharmacies, or basic health services has been significantly disrupted, and the lack of power caused by Hurricane Milton highlights how such challenges can escalate. Having a safety stock allows you to act when a medical issue arises, avoid unnecessary trips, and gives you the flexibility to wait things out. Here’s a more detailed list of essential items every household should keep:

First Aid Kits and Trauma Supplies

Prescription Medications

With the widespread power outages caused by Milton, it’s crucial to have a backup supply of any essential prescription medications. How much you need depends on how accessible healthcare services typically are in your area. If you live in a remote region or experience delays in getting medication, this could indicate how challenging it might be during a disaster like these recent hurricanes.

Over-the-Counter Essentials

Sanitation Supplies

Keeping yourself clean and healthy is vital, especially in disasters where unclean conditions, contaminated water, or injuries are common. The millions without power after Milton may face sanitation challenges, and having the right supplies is essential. Ensure you have:

Helping Your Community

Once your own family is secure, consider how you can help those around you. Preparedness doesn’t just benefit the individual—it strengthens the entire community. Whether it’s sharing supplies or lending medical expertise, helping neighbors can make a huge difference when resources are scarce, as seen in both Hurricane Helene’s aftermath and now with Milton’s power outages.

Preparedness also means being resourceful. Sometimes, having extra supplies isn’t enough. You may need to improvise with what’s available, and that’s where training and knowledge come into play. Learning basic medical care, understanding how to treat injuries, and knowing how to manage scarce resources safely can make you a valuable asset to your community.

Unique Medical Challenges in Disasters

Disasters present unique challenges, especially regarding communication and logistics. In both hurricanes, power outages and damaged infrastructure severely limited people’s ability to call for help or access critical information. As seen in Florida, where millions are currently without power after Milton, the loss of communication can quickly exacerbate an already dire situation. Beyond communication failures, disasters can physically alter landscapes—roads can flood, bridges can collapse, and access to essential services can be cut off.

This is where having a PACE plan becomes crucial. PACE stands for Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency, and it’s a framework to ensure you have multiple ways to achieve critical goals—whether it’s obtaining medical care, communicating, or evacuating. In the case of a blocked road or a washed-out bridge, having alternate routes and contingency plans ensures you aren’t left without options. Single points of failure, like relying on one road or one power source, can be catastrophic. Having backups—and even backups to those backups—makes your plan more resilient, especially when major power outages like those from Milton occur.

The Cyclical Nature of Preparedness

Disaster preparedness follows a cyclical process, typically taught in four phases: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. While some areas impacted by Hurricane Helene are still in the response stage, most are now entering recovery. With Hurricane Milton leaving millions without power, we’re reminded again of the critical nature of this cycle. As we move forward, we must focus on both mitigation and preparedness to ensure that the next disaster finds us more resilient.

Mitigation involves reducing the risks of future disasters. For many, this may mean revisiting and reinforcing your emergency plans or upgrading supplies. Preparedness, on the other hand, is about having the tools, skills, and knowledge in place to face the next disaster. With hurricanes being seasonal and often recurring, we must plan ahead, knowing that another storm could be on the horizon. These back-to-back hurricanes show that disasters can happen suddenly, but the time to invest in your ability to manage the emergency is before it strikes.

At Fieldcraft Survival, we offer a variety of systems to help address these needs. Free weekly seminars, social media tips, and email pro tips can provide small but impactful insights into how to update your systems to be more resilient. Attending courses led by subject matter experts, who can mentor your skill application, will enable you to make critical decisions yourself. Thinking through your situation and responding appropriately empowers you to handle what life throws at you in real time. Online education through our app will bolster your knowledge base and boost your creativity. Learning to make connections between skills you acquire in one discipline and applying them to another will make your plans more flexible, giving you a deeper well of knowledge to draw from and generating more options to suit the situation at hand.

Part of being prepared is understanding that you are your own first responder. No matter how advanced emergency systems are, there will always be moments when you must rely on your knowledge, supplies, and immediate actions. Gaining practical skills, building community connections, and ensuring you have the right tools are all part of this process. As we recover from these back-to-back disasters, it’s essential to be ready for the next, ensuring that when the time comes, you’ll be better equipped to protect yourself and those around you.