Preparing You and Your Pets For Hurricane Sandy

by: Carol Bryant

One wonders if the weather forecasters had Frankenweenie on their minds when they dubbed the huge storm expected to hit the East Coast. It is ominously, and in homage to Halloween, called “Frankenstorm.” Puns and names aside, this storm could do some serious damage.

Meteorologists expect a mess combining high wind, heavy rain, extreme tides and maybe snow to the west beginning early Sunday, peaking with the arrival of Hurricane Sandy on Tuesday and lingering past Halloween on Wednesday.

I never thought I’d have to evacuate my residence in an emergency situation. In the past, I’d counseled others via the written word on how to do it and even had an “emergency plan” of my own in place. I just never thought I’d need to implement those best laid plans.

Then last year happened. The river rolled and the waters rose. On Thursday, September 8, 2011, the Susquehanna River threatened to overflow her banks and surpass the levee system designed to keep the flood waters back, a sea of thoughts, unexpected emotions, and several doses of panic ran through my mind. In other words, I had to get out. Here is what I did and what you need to keep in mind in preparation before, during, and after nature’s fury wreaking havoc.

What Should Have Ready To Go?

• Food and treats (an ample supply)
• Water : Officials cautioned a week’s supply. When I evacuated, it was to a dog-friendly home located two hours away, so not an issue.
• Food and water bowls: Indeed.
• Medications and vaccine records. I then stored these in plastic baggies. All of my dog’s items are centrally located in one closet of the house with the exception of food and vet records. If you have a ZIP drive, take it with you.
• Photographs and ID: For safety, security, comfort but also in case Rover goes missing. Please please please do not leave the dog behind. If you couldn’t escape flood waters, neither will Fido.
• Extra leash and harness, any bedding and toys
• A safe place of retreat that ALLOWS dogs: Having made several calls the night before the mandatory evacuation, pet-friendly hotels within 2-1/2 hours were booked. Be sure to have somewhere to go for backup, a place to crash temporarily, and one that allows dogs. I’d have slept in my car of a vacant parking lot if I had to; but I didn’t. Dog-welcoming friends made our emergency escape feel more like a needed retreat. Happily, the majority of local emergency makeshift shelters allowed pets – as long as you had a kennel and vaccine records. If you titer your dog, keep copies of those as well.  Write phone numbers down of these locations; more than one, in fact.
• Pet first aid kit, extra leash, toys , treats, dog bed/kennel/comforts of home.

Whether flood, fire, hurricane, tornado or other natural force strikes, it is always a good idea to have these items ready to use:

• An evacuation plan: Map or GPS of how to leave your community and where you are going
• Several days’ worth of supplies to sustain you, your family (including pets)
• First aid kit
• Non prescription and prescription medications
• Sanitary and hygiene items and toiletries
• Flashlights, batteries, a weather radio to monitor changing weather conditions

RedCross.org lists everything you would need and more tips on their website. Stay safe, everyone!

BlogPaws and World Vets, with the help of Dr. Jessica Vogelsang, are joining forces to create  The Blogger Disaster Response Network and we are inviting any interested blogger to sign up and be a part of it!

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[dawn]

Good list Carol! Those soft dog crates really come in handy for all types of pets (that won't chew through them). I try to keep a couple of my car so they are ready.

Stay safe!

[Carol Bryant]

Thanks, Dawn... I started putting leashes and collars in my trunk for when we run into strays and lost pets....

[bichonpawz]

Excellent information!!! I have retweeted, GooglePlused and put it out on FB!! Stay Safe!!

[Carol Bryant]

Thanks for sharing... we are supposed to get hit pretty hard. Never ever leave pets behind!

[Omi S. and Bender Oak (and Pepper too!)]

I wrote something very similar to this on my old blog, Bender Oak Gifts, for Hurricane Irene when it slammed into our area. There's a few things on the post that you may not normally consider important when preparing for a Hurricane. Check it out here:

http://benderoak.blogspot.com/2011/08/pet-hurricane-survival.html

Since I've adopted a second dog, I've got a new post this afternoon with some other items to consider in the event of an emergency/natural disaster. It's so weird having two different dogs, and in the event of something bad happening, I need to consider what makes both of them comfortable.

[Carol Bryant]

Thanks for sharing your link... preparation is key and not to panic. I know when flood waters threatened my home last year, I experienced this fear first hand. Have a plan, take the pets, and flee when they say to flee...

[Steve]

I always thought that no sane and decent person would leave their pet behind when evacuating, but apparently, during every natural disaster, millions of people have and still do leave their animals to fend for themselves and/or perish. Frankly, there is just no excuse for this. Years ago, when we lived in Florida, my daughter and I were under a mandatory evacuation during a hurricane and since we run a rescue, we had 29 cats and 5 dogs at the time. So we packed up and went to a motel where we all stayed for 38 days. It's not that hard to do and I'm not buying anyone's excuses.