How do you prepare your pet’s well being during a time of emergency? They have the same basic requirements as humans, that being food, water and shelter. Animals have emotions, they become frightened when situations arise that are out of norm for them. A lot of the planning depends on what type of emergency you are preparing for. My daughter lives in New Orleans, right in the middle of hurricane country. Another daughter lives in the Midwest, right in the middle of tornado alley. My son and his family live in the Rockies, not more than a mile from a huge fault line…earthquake central, his 2 stepbrothers live in Oregon and have to contend with the threat of earthquakes as well. Another child lives on one of the Hawaiian islands…volcanoes, and 2 other children are in Alaska…blizzards (and not the good ones from DQ). So, you see, we are a family of planners and more planners and the list goes on.

First and foremost, if you have warning time, such as with a hurricane or threat of floods, evacuate the animals with you if at all possible. Remember that if you plan on going to a public shelter or a motel, animals may not be allowed to go with you. If you can’t take them with you, have a back-up plan. Do you have a place, on safer, higher ground where they can be boarded? Do you have a building that is elevated where animals may be placed to provide safe shelter?

If you need to evacuate an animal, it’s best to have a carrier. After all, animals have emotions too. Loud noises such as lightening and heavy rain will spook even the most gentle of animals. A frightened animal is most often, an out of control animal. There’s nothing worse than having an out of control cat or dog in a vehicle with you while you’re trying to drive. Imagine trying to determine which lane you need to enter when you have a crazed cat hanging off your face or the back of your head. It is not fun at all! I have parrots, cats, a dog and 20+ chickens. The chickens can fly, so I wouldn’t plan on evacuating them, but the others, yes!! I moved here from Salt Lake City and moved 3 parrots in the front of a U-Haul truck. Yes, they were in cages, but the blue and gold macaw (Racheal)would get motion sickness because she was terrified of being inside a moving vehicle. In turn, she would get nauseated and vomit. Then, to make matters worse, she’d shake her head to get the mucousy stuff out of her beak. Guess where it went? Yep, all over me. There’s nothing worse than bird barf. She used to get sick just going to the vet less than 2 miles from our house. By the time we'd get to the vet, I'd put the bird on the counter and head to the bathroom...and come out greenfaced. They all thought it was funny! Going 1700 miles cross-country was truly, no fun! I got as far as the state line between Utah and Montana and was getting sick because the bird was already sick, called the vet (who in turn laughed because he knew by the sound of my voice that I was probably more ill than the bird) and had me stop and buy liquid Benadryl, the kind you give babies. My instructions (for a 2 pound bird) was to give her a few drops equal to no more than a quarter teaspoonful, every 2-4 hours until her nausea stopped or she was asleep. She went to sleep first. By then, the greenwing macaw had chewed the perches in half so there was no place for Racheal to perch so she clipped her beak around the bars of the cage and was so groggy that she’d sway back and forth and bump the sides of the cage with every big bump in the road that I hit. She didn't wake up either. Every time she’d bounce off the side of the cage, the greenwing would laugh like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. About 2 hours later when I couldn’t stand it anymore and after repeatedly warning the greenwing to shut up or else, I asked the greenwing, Mia, if he’d like some Benadryl too. Of course, he’s such a smarty-pants that he got big eyed and said “NO!” in a loud determined voice, then stayed quiet for several hours. Don’t tell me animals don’t understand humans.
OK, I digressed. Let me get back on topic.
Preparing for emergency events:
The same planning is needed for animals as it is for yourself or your family. What types of emergencies are prevalent in your area? Are these emergencies ones that would give you warning time to prepare yourself and your animals?
As an example, we live in a tornado-prone area. When the weather starts getting nasty outside, I mean really nasty and we are placed in a tornado watch, my birds and cats go into their pet carriers. They know the routine, and usually are unhappy about it. It sure beats trying to grab frightened animals when you should be heading to the basement.
What if you don’t have warning? Earthquakes don’t allow for much preparation time. The only thing I can suggest in a situation such as this is to have pet supplies in a place outside where they can be retrieved without having to go back into a structurally unsafe building.

Food and water:
1. Recommendations are to have at least 3 days of food and water on hand at all times. I keep dog, cat and bird food in a small tote bin in the carrier part of my camper. It’s easy access, out of the house where I can get to it and is in a waterproof container. Also include something your pet can eat and drink from. Small collapsible dishes are available, but to me, are a bit of a waste if you’re crunched for space. Tinfoil works well to fashion to make a small bowl from. So does plastic. If you’re in an area where there is dirt, you can dig a hole, line it with plastic and fashion a bowl. No bulky dishes to carry. How much water do you need? Calculate the ounces or gallons (if you have a big animal) that the animal consumes in a day and multiply by the number of days that you are preparing for. That’s in ADDITION to what you’ve put away for yourself and family. Remember, animals can’t drink the same liquids that you do. Soda pop, some vegetable and some fruit juices are not safe for certain types of animals.
Safety:
1. Make sure you have nametags with your name, address and a phone number where
you can be reached. A cell phone number is the best to put on an ID tag.
2. Also, have a photo of your pet, along with information about the pet (i.e.,
name, address, your cell number, any pertinent medical history, medications the
pet might be on, vet’s name and phone, if the pet is micro-chipped and the
microchip number) on the back of the photo. It makes claiming a pet so much
easier if the pet and you become separated. Keep these in a waterproof container
along with your other important documents. Also, if your pet is micro-chipped,
make sure the database with which the chip is registered is kept up-to-date with
current addresses and phone numbers.
3. Collar, leash, pet carrier.
4. Sanitation supplies (i.e. small garbage bags, deoderant spray, bleach spray for
cleaning the area where the animal relieved itself, and paper towels. Don’t
forget hand sanitizer for yourself to use after cleaning up after the animal.
5. Have a buddy system. That means, if you aren’t home, and can’t get back home,
is there someone who can feed and water your pet(s)? Are you willing to do the
same for your “buddy”? Things like this are good to work out well in advance
since you will have to let your helpmate know where your supplies and pertinent
information are kept. They also need to be able to allow emergency care for your
pet in your absence if the situation warrants it. Again, all these things are
best kept in writing, in a safe place. If you have a buddy that will help you,
or you them, plan a place where you can meet. Have that person’s phone number
with you.
6. Obtain or create “Pets inside” stickers to place on doors or windows. We have
one on the bedroom window where our birds are located and on each door. If you
have to evacuate and have time, write on the sticker “evacuated with pets” or
something similar to let potential rescuers know that you and your pets are out
of the building.
Medications:
If your animal is on special medications, take them with you. Most times you have advance warning to prepare for an imminent weather situation. My neighbors keep their pet meds in a gallon bag in the fridge. It’s a grab and go if they need to leave in a hurry.

Large animals, herd animals, flocks.

Planning for food and water still takes the same diligence as it does for smaller animals that can be crated and taken with you. Obviously, if you have a small herd and can evacuate with them, so much the better. If you can’t, as horrible as it sounds, and again, please note this is my personal opinion, it’s better to open a corral gate or the chicken coop door so they can run or fly free rather than being trapped in floodwaters or a fire or face a tumbling building. Most animals will run or fly for cover. It’s so much better than being trapped where chances of survival are slim.

A couple of good resources, if you’d like to read online is:

http://www.ready.gov/america/_downloads/pets.pdf
http://www.redcross.org