CAN YOU SURVIVE A DISASTER?
Don’t Play the Odds
Looking at the world today gives ample warning that natural and man-made disasters occur at any time and without warning. No one likes to dwell on the unpleasant or look with despair on the future. There are ways to beat the odds of surviving a catastrophe. This page gives you a step-by-step plan to protect your home, kennel, family and pets. But you must begin NOW! You may also download the contents of this page using the button at the bottom of the page.
Prepare Your Family to Evacuate
Familiarize your family with the disasters that could hurt or destroy your family. Are you vulnerable to hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, blizzards, earthquakes, gas leaks, hazardous material spills?
Develop an evacuation plan for yourself and your animals. Discuss with your veterinarian what emergency supplies should be kept on hand and which local veterinary practices would board dogs in case of emergencies. Locate and prearrange an evacuation site outside the disaster area, either with relatives or friends or a pet-friendly hotel.
An evacuation plan should include these lifesaving acts:
- Identify alternate routes to take you out of danger.
- Establish places far enough from the disaster site so that family members can take different roads to meet.
- Keep a current regional map in your car.
- Keep a current list of friends, kennels, shelters, rescue volunteers, local Red Cross chapter, AKC Reunite and veterinarians far enough from home who would be most likely to help you. Keep this list with your evacuation materials in the house and in the glove compartment of your car.
- Assemble an evacuation kit to be kept in your car. These life-saving aids should be kept in easy to-carry, waterproof containers. If you store food or water in the car, rotate them frequently. Keep these in your car at all times:
- Crates of appropriate sizes for the number of animals you carry.
- Leashes, collars with positive ID tags for each animal. Permanent identification through microchipping and registering with AKC Reunite is advisable.
- Veterinary records, current vaccination records, especially for rabies and special medications.
- Blankets, toys and treats.
- Shade cloths. In winter, deicer, windshield scrapers, shovel, extra warm clothing.
- Paper towels, Plastic baggies for scooping, Trash bags.
- Flash light and extra batteries.
- Masking tape and laundry pen to change contact information on dog tags if needed.
- Emergency flares.
- Jumper cables.
- Loud emergency whistle.
- Extra set of car keys.
- A full or almost full tank of gas in all vehicles.
You are not prepared unless you have a first aid kit for injuries and illness. This must include:
- Liquid activated charcoal.
- Antidiarrheal tablets.
- Bandage materials.
- Betadine or other antiseptic scrub or wash.
- Alcohol pads.
- Latex or other non-allergenic gloves.
- A tourniquet.
- Sterile eye and skin wash to flush wounds.
- Pedialyte liquid or powder.
- Antihistamine tablets.
- Tablets for sedation on the advice of your veterinarian.
Prepare Your Home and Kennel
- Research various sources of food and water in case your usual suppliers are unavailable.
- Invest in a backup generator powered by propane or alternate sources of energy in case electric power fails. Make sure it is large enough to run basic needs, such as water, heat, refrigerator, freezer, oven and a few lights. If you have a kennel, a separate generator is essential to maintain heat and/or cooling for the animals.
- Make sure fire and smoke alarms are working properly with hook ups to central dispatch police or fire stations.
- Place stickers on entrance doors to home and kennel to notify neighbors, firefighters, police or other rescue personnel in case you are not home what animals are on the property and where they are located.
- Identify all dogs and cats with permanent identification.
- Take current photos of the animals with identification and registration information.
- In a kennel, keep identification and all pertinent information securely attached to the individual kennel runs for each dog. Make certain there are leads and collars for each animal clearly in view.
- Keep a two weeks supply of water plus non-perishable foods for people and animals. Water should be kept in gallon jugs which have not contained milk or juice. Plan on the equivalent of one gallon of water per day per person. If you store tap water in thoroughly cleaned containers for any length of time, add no more than a teaspoon of chlorine to the gallon. The safest source of water is commercially bottled. Keep these sealed until ready to use. Observe the expiration date and “use by” date on the bottles.
- At least two weeks supply of nonperishable foods for animals and people.
- Manual can opener and kitchen supplies such as a pot or pan, utensils, disposable plates.
- Portable radio which works on solar or wind-up power.
- Flashlight and extra batteries.
- First aid kit and manual, similar to that stored in your car.
- Matches in waterproof container.
- Extra clothing.
- Blankets and towels.
- Photocopies of all important papers, credit cards, identification for animals and people, including veterinary records. These should be kept together in a waterproof envelope.
- Cash to last at least two weeks.
- Medications, extra eye glasses or con tact lenses with solutions.
- Infant needs, if applicable.
- Maps and current addresses similar to that kept in your car.
Additional Information
Use this additional information to help yourself, your loved ones and pets survive.
Congress has passed the Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act. This legislation provides for pet owning families and disabled people with service animals to enable them to keep their pets in the event they must evacuate. Federal funds available to help states establish pet friendly emergency shelters. FEMA is granted authority to help state and local governments develop emergency and evacuation plans which include pets and service animals.
Under these regulations from Homeland Security and FEMA only persons with FEMA certification will be allowed onto a disaster site. Certification may be achieved by taking an online test administered by FEMA. Local rescue groups, clubs and individuals may be certified by this process.
All disaster assistance will be managed first at the local, then the county or state level and only as a last resort on the Federal level.
Resources
AKC – Emergency Preparedness: The Essential Guide for Dog Owners
Homeland Security – Ready?
AVMA – Disaster Preparedness
FEMA – National Preparedness (and training)
