Summary
Emergency plans often lack accommodations for pregnant and postpartum women and children during natural disasters, leaving them without vital resources and support during one of the most vulnerable periods of their lives.
Why Hurricanes Pose Extra Risks for Pregnant, Postpartum Women and Their Babies
Hally Bojadzija and her husband drove through the empty streets of St. Petersburg the day after Hurricane Milton’s winds roared through Florida’s west coast.
Winds peeled back highway signs like opened soup cans. Shredded white fabric — pieces of Tropicana Field’s roof — littered the ground.
Bojadzija, 34, and her husband lived in the Riviera Bay neighborhood. Days earlier, their home had flooded during Hurricane Helene. They knew they couldn’t stay during Milton, but evacuating was a risk — she was nine months pregnant.
And her due date overlapped with Milton’s expected landfall.
The couple decided to head for Jacksonville, hours from their doctors.
There, as the eye of the storm was leaving the state, Bojadzija experienced contractions early. The hospital said she wasn’t dilated and that it couldn’t admit her. Doctors said her best bet was to drive back to St. Petersburg.
Over five hours, Bojadzija endured contractions in the passenger seat while her husband drove through storm-choked traffic.
During hurricanes, pregnant and postpartum people and their newborns can be caught in the chaos of the storms, losing access to vital resources and support during one of the most vulnerable periods of their lives.
The story continues in Tampa Bay Times. Access it for free on Yahoo News.
