Hurricane and tornado season is upon us, so y’all better get ready. Grab your supplies and get to work on making a plan. Our pets need us to be more prepared than ever in any emergency! Here are some pointers to help you and your pets handle natural disasters for the best possible outcomes.
Make Disaster Evacuation Plans
Always have a plan with evacuation routes in mind, of how and where you can escape to during emergencies. Not all evacuation shelters allow pets, except those that are service animals. Look around for animal hospitals, shelters, and clinics that can house your pets for an extended period. Check if family or friends who live out of state, or trustworthy neighbors, can watch your pets if you can’t evacuate together. Practice your evacuation strategy to make your animal companions more prepared for a real emergency.
Emergency Disaster Kits for Pets
Just like having the necessities for yourself, make a side kit for your animal babies:
- Canned and dried foods
- Bottled water
- Prescription and OTC medications
- Grooming tools
- Potty essentials.
Bring their carriers and favorite toys to help ease them during those dire moments. Think ahead from the beginning to the end of an emergency and take notes of what you and your pet will need to survive the disaster and its aftermath. Better to have too much than too little in trying times.
Take All Documentation With You
Bring important documents, IDs, collars, and tags for your pets. Having records on hand can help you if something happens to your babies, such as separation, illness, injury, or long-term stays with others who can take them in. Make backups for the documentation just in case. Think of what would happen and what can help in case you lose each other in those situations.
Livestock and Bigger Animals
We can’t forget the bigger babies! It is best to either shelter livestock indoors or evaluate as soon as the emergency arises to keep them and yourself out of danger. Reinforce all animal shelters (barns, pens, fences) with proper natural disaster methods. Contact the county’s agricultural department to notify them about your evacuation plans. They can provide insightful information and can sometimes send staff to lend a helping hand with your plans.
The Disaster Recovery
Once the storm passes, the aftermath is going to be just as challenging. Your pets’ senses are going to be overwhelmed and will experience trauma from all that happened. Keep them on leashes or in carriers when traveling about the area to avoid debris, downed power lines, wildlife, or hazardous chemicals around you. For the home, clean up an area of the house where you can safely release your animals and keep an eye out for any strange behavior. If they show too much discomfort, bring them to the vet as soon as possible. For lost pets, visit animal welfare organizations and shelters that help with locating lost animals.
