Planning Ahead for Emergency Livestock Evacuations
By Samantha Gleissner
When disasters strike, the efforts to get everybody to safety and find places for the displaced people to stay can be chaotic at best, but what if you have pets or livestock? What on earth do you do with 100 head of cattle when wildfire burns through your area or if a flash flood strikes? Today I want to talk about what you can do to be prepared for an emergency evacuation if you have pets or livestock animals. Some of this preparation advice would be good for human safety as well so consider that while reading this and see what you can apply to your own emergency evacuation preparations. There are a lot of resources that give good advice for being prepared for animal evacuation (some listed below), but those resources won’t do you much good at the last minute so it’s best to be prepared ahead of time before there is danger on the horizon.
When disasters strike, the efforts to get everybody to safety and find places for the displaced people to stay can be chaotic at best, but what if you have pets or livestock? What on earth do you do with 100 head of cattle when wildfire burns through your area or if a flash flood strikes? Today I want to talk about what you can do to be prepared for an emergency evacuation if you have pets or livestock animals. Some of this preparation advice would be good for human safety as well so consider that while reading this and see what you can apply to your own emergency evacuation preparations. There are a lot of resources that give good advice for being prepared for animal evacuation (some listed below), but those resources won’t do you much good at the last minute so it’s best to be prepared ahead of time before there is danger on the horizon.
The first thing you can do is quite simple; get together a
list of animal emergency contacts, this should include numbers and addresses
for:
·
Your veterinarian
·
Emergency veterinarian or out of area vet incase
of disaster closures
·
Poison control
·
Animal/livestock emergency transport services
·
Local Animal shelters
·
Animal control
·
Other pet care/emergency numbers you may need
It’s best to have several back up numbers on the list
because in an emergency you may need to contact multiple people before you can
get an answer, and there may be others in your area needing similar services so
having a back up or two for each contact is a good idea. The way I think of it
is that it is better to be over prepared now than underprepared when something
happens.
Be sure you consider including contacts for services that
are outside of your immediate town but
still within a reasonable in case the disaster is big enough to close down the
entire area. It is good to have a prepared list of out of area contacts
(friends or family) that you can possibly stay with or ask for assistance in
pet transport and care incase your entire area is affected by the disaster.
Next is to make sure that all of your animals have sturdy
wear proof identification; cattle, horses, and other large animals may be ear
tagged, microchipped or branded, pets should have microchips or other form of
non-removable identification (ear tattoos etc.). Non-removable or difficult to
remove ID helps to locate the animal more quickly if they get lost in the
disaster or transported for boarding, it also makes it easier for animal
transport and boarding services to keep track of your pets and livestock. One
thing I have not mentioned yet is that by law service animals must be
transported and housed with their owners as they are considered a medical aide,
pets however may be unable to be housed with their owners so it’s always wise
to have a backup plan even if you only have one or two pets.
If you are considering Firewise landscaping or have done
Firewise landscaping on your property you may also want consider any animal
housing such as barns, pastures, etc. as another home area, clearing that
essential 30 feet around your barn and other pastures or animal confinement
areas. Creating this buffer zone for your barns and pastures can make it a much
safer place to leave your animals during an evacuation if need be.
If animals are to remain on your property during a disaster
you need to be sure you have proper facilitations for them to stay safe and
healthy. A heat source and covered area to provide protection from the elements
is a must, heat sources should be in a safe place and should be far away from
any fuel sources or combustible materials to reduce fire risk. Always be
prepared with a backup supply of emergency food and water for your animals with
a minimum of a weeks supply. Often during disasters water supplies become
contaminated or electrical limitations cause water supplies to be cut off, so
having a clean spare water supply is vital.
Make sure you know where all your animals can be located.
It’s a wise idea to also keep a list of animal locations and even a property
map marking the animal locations, in your emergency evacuation kit and with
your emergency animal transport provider. This way in an emergency, even people
who are unfamiliar with your property can more easily help locate and move any
animals that may be at risk. You should also know where handling and transport
equipment for each animal can be found, this includes leashes, harnesses,
halters, and transport carriers or trailers.
Finally you should have an emergency disaster kit prepared
ahead of time and in an accessible
area. This kit should include:
·
A list of animals and their location
·
Proof of ownership
·
Health certificates
·
Temporary identification (collars, removable ID
bands, permanent markers)
o
Sharpies can be used to mark tags, but also to
mark directly on the fur of the animals themselves. It’s not the best ID, but
in an emergency it can be sufficient.
·
First aid kit – basic human and animal kits
should be available in your home and at several locations on your property
(barns, outbuildings, etc.).
·
Handling equipment
·
Food & water supplies (1 week minimum)
·
Any other emergency item you can think of, there
are plenty of internet resources that can help you make this kit up. Several
are listed below.
All of these tips are designed to get you prepared and
thinking about how you can keep your animals safe in the event of a disaster. If
you’ve accepted the responsibility of owning an animal be sure your are ready
to be responsible for protecting that animal in emergencies as well.
Animal disaster preparedness resources:
Animal emergency kit resources:
Idaho Animal Evacuation Training Resources:
Labels: idaho firewise, keep idaho green, livestock evacuation
posted by Ivy Dickinson @ 7:49 AM
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