{"id":7604,"date":"2026-06-03T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7604"},"modified":"2026-06-03T13:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T13:30:00","slug":"the-2026-hurricane-season-begins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7604","title":{"rendered":"The 2026 hurricane season begins"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2026-06-03T13:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

Picture a Veteran you know. They\u2019ve ridden out storms before, but maybe they\u2019re a retiree living alone in a Gulf Coast apartment, or a disabled Veteran in the Carolinas depending on powered medical equipment. Trained for hard situations and accustomed to pushing through, they believe they are ready.<\/p>\n

Then a Category 2 storm knocks out the power for nine days. By day four, a critical medication runs out. The pharmacy is closed. Roads are flooded. The phone battery is dead.<\/p>\n

It happens every season\u2026 not to a headline, but to real people in real homes across the Gulf Coast, the Carolinas and the mid-Atlantic. The gap between feeling prepared and being prepared is where emergencies become crises.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt only takes one,\u201d said Assistant Secretary Reginald Neal, leading VA\u2019s Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness (OSP). \u201cOne storm. One week without power. One heat wave. That\u2019s all it takes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mission doesn\u2019t stop<\/h2>\n

When disaster strikes, VA doesn\u2019t stand down\u2014it expands.<\/p>\n

VA has a \u201cFourth Mission<\/a>,\u201d authorizing support, not just for enrolled Veterans, but entire communities when local medical systems buckle under a storm\u2019s weight. OSP<\/a> and the Veterans Health Administration\u2019s Office of Emergency Management<\/a> work year-round to track threats, protect VA facilities and pre-position staff and supplies where they\u2019re most needed.<\/p>\n

In practice, that means VA can perform outreach, surge mobile medical units into storm-damaged communities, transfer patients from threatened hospitals before landfall, and keep Veterans connected to care through telehealth when roads are impassable and clinics are dark. VA coordinates directly with FEMA and the Department of Health and Human Services, state emergency managers and local agencies, so that when a storm makes landfall, the response is already moving.<\/p>\n

But even the most capable emergency system has limits. It cannot help a Veteran who cannot be reached.<\/p>\n

Answer the call<\/h2>\n

When major storms or incidents occur, VA may contact Veterans in affected areas by phone, text or email with real-time information about clinic closures, alternate care sites, pharmacy refills and evacuation guidance.<\/p>\n

Veterans are urged to do two things:\u00a0prepare and respond.<\/p>\n

If you are a Veteran with high-risk medical conditions and a weather threat is predicted, keep your phone charged and save your VA medical center\u2019s number in your contacts. If a call or text comes from VA during a weather threat, open it. Read it. The message may ask if you need assistance, tell you where to refill a critical prescription, how to reach your care team by telehealth, or where the nearest alternate clinic is located. Missing that message could mean missing care.<\/p>\n

VA also asks Veterans to make sure their contact information\u2014phone number, address and email\u2014is current in the system before storm season intensifies. It takes minutes to update, and it ensures VA can reach you when it matters most.<\/p>\n

The heat is a weapon too<\/h2>\n

Hurricanes command attention. Heat kills quietly.<\/p>\n

For Veterans managing heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, mental illnesses or chronic pain, and particularly for those taking medications that affect hydration or circulation, a heat wave can become a medical emergency faster than a storm surge. When a hurricane knocks out power and air conditioning disappears for a week, extreme heat is not a secondary concern. It becomes the primary threat.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeat conditions aren\u2019t always portrayed as a disaster event, like hurricanes, but they are just as deadly, especially for Veterans with chronic health conditions,\u201d said Dr. Aarthi Chary, M.D., leading Biodefense, Readiness and Response in VHA\u2019s Public Health National Program Office.<\/p>\n

Chary co-chairs the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS), an integrated information system supporting heat resilience and providing heat risk-related information and resources on Heat.gov. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTalk with your VA provider now about how heat affects your specific conditions and medications,\u201d Chary said. \u201cKnow where your nearest cooling center<\/a> is. Have water stored. Have a plan to check on the Veterans you know who live alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

What to do this week<\/h2>\n

Veterans and their families don\u2019t need to overhaul their lives to be prepared. Just consider taking these focused steps now:<\/p>\n