Hurricane Harvey and Irma may be gone, but the hardships that surround them continue. Currently, many Floridians are without power and air conditioning, spending their days in temperatures that feel like the .

For many couples, the lack of power and extreme heat threatens one of their most prized possessions—their frozen embryos. If you’re one of the many people that are worried about their frozen embryos after the recent storms, there are probably many questions racing through your head. Read on to figure out what you need to know about your frozen embryos.

1) Call Your Center

Calling the center that houses your frozen embryos to ask about their well-being To prepare yourself, connect with your support network. Everything might be perfectly well, but in the event it’s not, make sure you have a supportive group nearby.

Once you pick up a phone and dial your center’s number, try and listen. One of the biggest mistakes people make before having a big conversation is to play the entire thing out in their head before it happens. Instead, try and simply listen to what the center has to say.

After your conversation, regardless of the outcome, you’ll have a lot to think and talk about. During this time, it’s best not to make any big decisions. When you hang up the phone, try and process the information without worrying about the next step. Even waiting a few days to make a call can help make sure your thoughts are clear.

2) There is Hope

 Natural disasters can influence a clinic’s ability to keep embryos viable. For example, during Hurricane Katrina, many couples were worried about the future of their frozen embryos. Countless clinics were flooded and without power, and during this time, all of their embryos were threatened.

Luckily, many of these embryos became the hurricane’s smallest survivors. Noah Markham is known as Katrina’s youngest survivor overall. He was rescued from a center that was flooded with nearly eight feet of water. In January of 2007, Noah was born to his mother Rebekah Crosby.

Other young survivors now go by the names Sam and Ben. These boys were once frozen embryos, locked in a canister in a hospital that had no power. Unbeknownst to Sam and Ben’s parents, a special task force actually made a daring rescue to save the embryos after the storm. During the mission, nearly 1,200 embryos belonging to 485 couples were saved.

3) Safeguard for the Future

After a few weeks have passed and you’ve had time to digest and understand the ways in which the storm has influenced you, start to take action. If you are not familiar with your center’s plan for future natural disasters, call them and ask them about their procedures. Ask them about their technology for storing embryos, and ask them if they have any additional backup plans. For example, you might want to ask how they will protect your embryos in the event of a fire. Do they have a plan in place in case of an earthquake? What happens if the center is without power?

These questions will be difficult to ask, but it’s important that you know the answers to them. Once you listen to a center’s plan, you can decide if you feel comfortable allowing them to protect your embryos. If not, you can begin to make calls to other centers that might be a better fit for you.

Hurricanes can reshape lives in many ways. It may take months or years for things to return to normal, but the process of rebuilding can start today. With support by your side, you can take the first step in understanding what the future might hold for your frozen embryos.

Mackenzie Martin is a content writer who loves to see her client’s Google search rankings grow. As a writer by day and an author by night, she has an undying love for well-crafted copy and the impact it can have. Connect with her via email: mackenziefreelance@gmail.com

Media Credits: Featured Image, Unsplash