Hurricane Season - Are You Prepared?

So Hurricane Season is upon us, and hopefully this year will be uneventful, but the question of course has to be asked for those of us in affected areas... are you prepared?

After all, as pet caretakers, we not only have to be prepared to deal with caring for our own needs, but those of our animals in the event of a hurricane as well.

Some Hurricane Ideas for Pet Owners:
1) Have carriers available with documentation of state required vaccinations in the event you are required by government to evacuate, in which case a pet shelter might make more sense than making due in a hotel which may not accept animals.

2) Put ID'd collars back on cats, and have pictures available should they somehow get lost. Mine are tatooed and chipped already.

3) Have pet shelters and e-vets programmed into the GPS in advance for your assigned evacuation route/destination.

4) Have stocked plenty of their regular food supply, which no problemo I always buy in bulk since shelf lives are usually years.

5) Carry backup charged batteries for your cellphone (these are as cheap as $2-3 a pop on ebay) or as I prefer a backup "dumbphone" cell (got one for free) that can take your SIM.

You should have plenty of water for yourself regardless, so I think that's covered under regular hurricane preparedness along with keeping all your vehicles topped off on fuel. Personally, my house is specifically built to withstand a hurricane and is rated for 200mph winds with strong single-wide garage doors and shatter proof double-pane windows, and we're not in a flood zone, so we'd stay put. Due to the often excruciating heat though, I invested in a generator which plugs into my home's electrical system, so I could even run the central AC or at least ceiling fans as needed in the event of a power outage. Other suggestions?

Good plan indeed. I can honestly say I am not prepared. I think sometimes I take for granted the fact that powerful hurricanes are rare here but remembering Jaun, I should know better. Irene isn't expected (so far) to impact Nova Scotia directly but the season is not over. I am going out this weekend to stock up on batteries, water and cat food.

If worse comes to worse, I will go to my parents. This building is only a few meters from a river that's notorious for flooding. My parents have a basement and live on a small hill away from water sources. So they don't flood.

When earl hit here in September we had to remove the AC from the window and it got sooooo humid in the apartment. At least at my folks we can stay cool downstairs. If power goes out, we lose either way, we can't afford a generator. But ah well, we made it through Juan in once piece.

Basically we are; which is good since we are in Irene's path. Not expecting eye landfall here; but still expecting rains and wind. I've stocked up on food and water. No one has mentioned any evacuations for our area. I also ran out for batteries and that stuff today. We still have a little time; but I'd rather not be in that rush.

I sooo wish we had a generator sometimes. We lost power here during a blizzard once when my daughter was just a few weeks old. We were evacuated to my parent's house because of that when nightfall hit and we still didn't have power. I am still praying Irene is gentle to us and that our power stays on. We have well water and need the electricity to run the well.

So, Ducman...I take it you've been reading the big signs over the highways in Houston.

Well, I live in Denver so you can consider me completely unprepared...

But for all of you who live in hurricane areas, keep yourselves and your pets safe!!!!

Originally Posted by mrblanche

So, Ducman...I take it you've been reading the big signs over the highways in Houston.

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Not lately, are they just giving the regular "Keep Your Gas Tank Topped Off" message?

We're not really prepared....I don't think Irene will affect us much at all, maybe some showers on Sunday and that's it.

We're way up on a hill and our chances of getting flooded are slim. We might end up with water in the basement, but that would be it. I don't worry about winds too much or the power going off in the summer time, except for the food in the freezer in the basement. If we can't go anywhere because all the roads are closed, it's not really a big deal....I'd use it more like a vacation day (or days as the case might be).

That being said, I worry more about winter blizzards and ice storms than about hurricanes. And then I get prepared. Lots of bottled water for the cats, lots of warm blankets on the bed. Two fresh tanks of propane for the grill in case we have to grill our dinner (and don't laugh....we had to cook our Christmas dinner on the grill several years ago on Christmas Day because a blizzard killed our electricity. We use our grill often in the winter b/c of storms that kill our power). Lots of cans of cat food and dry kibble for the kids, extra meds for Whisper and BooBoo, inc Whisper's KD cans now...we try to keep two cases on hand at all times.

So I tend to be more concerned with winter storms than summer hurricanes. It all depends on where people live, I guess.

Really in a situation I can not evacuate without renting a uhaul. Plenty of cat food is always on hand(wet). Our sunroom that the cats own(haha) has a weak roof that was supposed to be replaced so I do worry about that and keep them out of there when its very windy(plenty of trees)

my cats has more food than I do. I will get their carrier down and keep it out, just in case.

I am more nervous since it's my first time being in a second floor apartment alone, and not at my parent's house. If it wasn't for the cats, I'd be over there since they have a basement. I can't bring the cats over

Yes, we are prepared. We are praying for this hurricane to turn east and go on out in the ocean. Our generator is ready. We have extra bread, water, etc. Cats have a nice place in the garage to be when it rains and blows. Having lived through some major hurricanes, we don't take them lightly.

Well I live in Chicago so having a hurricane here is out of a question. However sometimes in the suburbs they will get really bad storms like tornadoes an severe thunderstorms.

We're not really prepared. Hubby wants to buy a generator though, since we've been saying that for a couple years now. We were kinda excited when Irene was headed this way.

Our house was built in 2008 and finished in '09, brick, lots of hurricane straps built into the foundation and house, no trees to fall on us, and 40+ miles from the coast and not too close to rivers that would affect us. I did think about getting a few cases of water the other day, but decided to watch the path play out.

We probably do need to get some sort of plan together though.

Originally Posted by konstargirl

Well I live in Chicago so having a hurricane here is out of a question. However sometimes in the suburbs they will get really bad storms like tornadoes an severe thunderstorms.

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Actually, what was left of the eye of "Isaac's Storm," the hurricane that destroyed Galveston in September of 1900, passed directly over Chicago a couple of days later. It maintained tropical storm wind speeds as high as 65 mph as it traveled north and then east, all the way through New York City.

Originally Posted by Ducman69

Not lately, are they just giving the regular "Keep Your Gas Tank Topped Off" message?

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No, they're saying, "It's Hurricane Season -- Are You Prepared?"

Originally Posted by Winchester

We're not really prepared....I don't think Irene will affect us much at all, maybe some showers on Sunday and that's it.

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Can we come for a visit? DH was joking about spending the weekend in PA.

Originally Posted by blueyedgirl5946

Yes, we are prepared. We are praying for this hurricane to turn east and go on out in the ocean. Our generator is ready. We have extra bread, water, etc. Cats have a nice place in the garage to be when it rains and blows. Having lived through some major hurricanes, we don't take them lightly.

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I am praying for the same.

Looking at the map of probable paths of Irene, puts my town in the eye or just east of it. Of course it does.

I have my generator primed and fueled and ready, I also have extra water and food, stuff that can be cooked with no electricity. I don't expect flooding, I live by the beach, but way above sea level, so I think the surge will not reach us here on the North Shore.

I also have my truck ready with the tow ball, and the camper is also packed up like I was going camping. if I had to evacuate, my trailer is coming with me. All my pets and kids and my husband and I can fit nicely, and we don't have to take up a shelter that someone else could use. All I have to do is buy an extra bag of dog food for my Shepherd, and some extra bird seed for Satan. (Evil cockatiel)

I also have candles, loads of them-I make them to sell, so we'll be eating at candle light with a nice scent too.

Thanks, Ducman, for posting the advice. I was hoping someone would beat me to it!

Yes, we're prepared. The hurricane should hit here on Sunday. We're on the cusp of hurricane/tropical storm watch, so who knows what will happen? (Without football, Sundays are BORING on TV, so we'll have something to keep us busy! ) We have go bags, in case of being evacuated, and plenty of supplies to shelter in place--we even have back-up cooking methods. Tomorrow, I'll buy more cat food & litter, and fill up the cars with gas.

Question: How many days of water are you stocking up on? Do you have well water? I do not have a generator to run the well pump so I'm afraid to not have enough; though DH says he can always walk to the creek down the road and get water to filter.

You really don't need that much, as even in an absolute worst case scenario, you're going to have emergency responders able to provide aide unless you're very remote.

It is a good idea to go ahead and fill up the bathtubs though after thoroughly cleaning them, so you can flush the toilets and wash your face and what not or have emergency water right there if for some reason you lose water pressure.

And double-check that water is A-OK after if you are hit, and just run it for a while to flush it out.

Originally Posted by MoochNNoodles

Question: How many days of water are you stocking up on? Do you have well water? I do not have a generator to run the well pump so I'm afraid to not have enough; though DH says he can always walk to the creek down the road and get water to filter.

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The standard recommended amount is to allow 1 gallon per PERSON per DAY. If you have pets, allow extra for them. I'd say that more than that wouldn't hurt. Remember, you also need water for bathing and cooking, if cooking will be possible. Also, if it's hot, you may want to allow more water per person and per pet. You may also need water for flushing the toilet; waste water can be used for this (water from dish washing, bathing, etc.). I'd be careful with using creek water, even with filtering. Also, if the storm is very bad, he may not be able to get to the creek, even afterwards (debris, downed lines, etc.) Just fill up clean food-safe containers with tap water now. Don't use old milk jugs, as they will make the water taste sour. Always save more than you think you'll need. You can always drink it, etc. later. Better safe than sorry with water. You can only survive up to 3 days without water.

Take care. I'll be thinking of you.