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JACKSONVILLE, Fla.— Center for Biological Diversity, Justice Advocacy Network, Jax Period Pantry and Central Florida Mutual Aid will donate emergency sexual health supplies at Really, Really Free Markets in Jacksonville (Sept. 7), Tampa (Sept. 8) and Orlando (Sept. 29 Sept.). The groups will also offer the kits in Miami at Yaya Por Vida’s mural and mobile unit unveiling event on September 27. September is FEMA Emergency Preparedness Month.

The kits are being distributed to highlight the importance of preparing for sexual and fertility disruption during extreme weather events.

“Reproductive rights are under attack in Florida and fossil fuel-driven extreme weather is on the rise, creating the perfect storm for Florida’s sexual health,” said Kelley Dennings, senior campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These packs offer the essentials for people to take care of their sexual health during extreme weather events. As a solution to mitigating climate change, family planning also helps build resilience.”

The kits include condoms, emergency contraception, bleeding products, pregnancy tests and lubricants.

Extreme weather can limit access to abortion and contraception, making reproductive autonomy more difficult. Hurricane Katrina disrupted family planning services for young women in New Orleans even five to six months after the storm. During that time, 40% of young women reported not using birth control, and 4% experienced an unintended pregnancy because they could not get care.

“With Florida’s extreme abortion laws, including the six-week ban, it’s critical that people have access to sexual health and hygiene products during extreme weather events,” said Kaitlyn Kirk, co-founder of the Justice Advocacy Network. “The deteriorating landscape of reproductive health in the South is already affecting millions. Climate disasters exacerbate the situation by further hampering people’s financial stability and limiting access to critical services. These kits were created by Floridians for Floridians with this in mind.

A study of the effects of Hurricane Ike in Texas found that black women reported more difficulty than their white or Hispanic counterparts in accessing birth control in the aftermath of the hurricane.

“Sanitary supplies can be limited during a disaster,” said Alyx Carrasquel, founder of Jax Period Pantry. “It’s important for people to have menstrual products in their emergency preparedness kits so they’re not left scrambling for essentials at an already stressful time.”

The climate crisis disproportionately affects women and genderqueer people, but concerns about sexuality and fertility are often left out of emergency preparedness plans.

The kits are distributed at Really, Really Free Markets to highlight the need to support community mutual aid during disaster preparedness and after extreme weather events in Florida.

“While we distribute free condoms and emergency contraception year-round, we also do a lot of community outreach to prepare and respond to hurricanes,” said Rachel Kinbar, organizer with Central Florida Mutual Aid. “This project highlights the need to include these types of items in emergency preparedness kits and have them freely available, especially in under-resourced communities.”

Florida is one of the states most at risk from climate change. The effects of increased greenhouse gas emissions are more harmful to women, genderqueer people, blacks, indigenous peoples, and all people of color, even though these communities contribute less to climate change. This underscores the importance of supporting the needs of vulnerable communities during FEMA’s Emergency Preparedness Month.