Fresenius Medical Care is urging all kidney failure patients to begin making hurricane preparations now. They suggest starting with these tips:

1.           Keep your emergency phone numbers handy. When bad weather threatens, contact your local facility and follow instructions they may provide. Fresenius offers a patient hotline at 1.800 626.1297, which is staffed by customer service specialists 24 hours a day who can provide locations and contact numbers for alternate facilities if necessary.
          
2.         Carry your up-to-date personal information with you at all times (ID, medication and allergy lists, insurance, emergency contact information, type of dialysis treatment).
          
3.         Talk to your doctor and family about your evacuation plan — what you should do and where you should go if a disaster strikes. Keep track of local weather forecasts.
          
4.         Create a disaster kit with emergency supplies and at least one extra three-day supply of medicines. Many patients find it convenient to keep medicines and medical supplies in an easy-to-carry fanny pack or backpack.
          
5.         Store a three-day supply of food based on your emergency meal plan. Begin this special diet plan as soon as a disaster is predicted or occurs and remain on it until you receive dialysis treatment. Limit fluid intake to two cups per 24 hours and avoid fresh fruit or vegetables.

Over the course of the 2008 hurricane season, Fresenius Medical Care responded to five major storms in the South. The company had backup generators so dialysis facilities could continue operating safely in areas that lost electricity, along with arrangements to receive water and fuel if necessary. In many cases, facilities ran extended hours so patients could get dialysis before and after the storm.