Living in Tornado Alley
Living where we do, I’ve seen a lot of tornados. Thankfully, only from a distance. I have however seen the horrible aftermath of several. Two that caused great damage and loss of life happened very near us. We were out of town when the first one hit a town close to our house. We spent hours in a freezer in a grocery store when the second one hit another close by town. I learned a lesson and it’s time for pet preparedness in case of a disaster.
When the first one hit and we were out of town, we had our dog (we only had one then) with us. But while we were in the freezer in the grocery store during the second one, my dogs (two then) were at home alone. I was SO worried about them! I could talk to my grown children on my cell, so I knew they were safe, but how I wished I could know that my four legged babies were safe! Thankfully, our home was fine and so were our dogs.
Tornados don’t usually give much of an advanced warning and the day we spent time in the grocery store freezer started off sunny and beautiful. It was looking a little stormy, but not ominous when we went grocery shopping. It was then that the sirens went off and all doors to the grocery store were locked and we were hustled into the meat freezer. There really wouldn’t have been anything we could have done, had the tornado hit our house.
But, it really reminded me how important it is to have a plan. All over the world, a disaster of some sort can hit at any time. Spring is a good time to start thinking about Pet Disaster Preparedness. It is a good time for all of us to be reminded of the importance of being prepared!
Your Plan Should Include All Family Members
Of course, you may have other family members of the four-legged kind or the feathered or furry kind besides your Chihuahua. You want them to be safe also. Being prepared can save their lives.
You may not live in tornado alley, but you may live where there are other disasters that may occur in other parts of the states, hurricanes, for instance. Fires and hazardous spills can happen anywhere. But the one thing they have in common is you may have to evacuate your home.
If you have to evacuate, you want to evacuate them too. If it’s not safe for you to stay, then they’re not safe if you leave them behind. So take action now so you’ll know what to do if an emergency happens.
Know a Safe Place To Take Your Pets
Where you decide to go when you evacuate may not accept pets. For instance, local and state safety regulations do not permit Red Cross to allow pets in disaster shelters (except service animals). There are other things you can do, however.
- Contact hotels and motels outside your local area to check their policies on accepting pets and restrictions on number, size, and species. Ask if “no pet” policies can be waived in an emergency. Keep a list of “pet-friendly” places, including phone numbers, with your disaster supplies.
- Ask friends, relatives or others outside the affected area whether they could shelter your animals.
- Make a list of boarding facilities and veterinarians who could shelter animals in an emergency; include 24-hour phone numbers.
- Ask local animal shelters if they provide emergency shelter or foster care for pets during a disaster.
Have a Pet Emergency Preparedness Kit
Help Emergency Workers Help Your Pets
If you are away from home when a disaster strikes, as I was when the one tornado went through at least help emergency workers to help your pets.
The ASPCA recommends using a rescue sticker alert to let people know that pets are inside your home. Make sure it is visible to rescue workers, and that it includes the types and number of pets in your household, your cell number, and your veterinarian’s phone number.