Southern California fires and disaster readiness
By Gina Spadafori
October 23, 2007
[Update 1, 2:58 PM Pacific Time, Tuesday, Oct. 23] I heard from Liz Palika, who did not end up being evacuated after all:
At this point they really have no idea how many people are hurt, how many homes have been damaged or destroyed, and how many animals have been killed. Many people had to leave livestock – including horses – behind.
My animals are still okay. Pearl, the leopard tortoise, is still buried in the damp dirt in my backyard. The box turtles seem unaffected; they’ve been prowling the yard as normal. The dogs and cats are calmer than I would have expected although one of the youngest cats, Squash, has been demanding more attention than normal. Dax, my 13 year old dog with congenital liver disease, has begun coughing and I’m a little concerned about that. But I’ve been communicating with her vet and right now I’m just keeping her in the house and quiet. The younger dogs have been practicing their therapy dog skills on my husband and myself, as well as any neighbor who will hold still long enough. (I think some of the neighbors have been coming by just for doggy kisses!)
We’re still packed and ready to take off should we need to.
I’ve also heard from a good deerhound friend of mine, and have asked if I can share her report on the blog, so there will probably be additional updates later.
The news from Southern California just keeps getting worse. But one of the bright spots is that after massive disasters like Hurricane Katrina, pet-owners and civic authorities are better prepared to handle evacuations of people with their pets. This is important not only for the animals, but because if there’s anything previous disasters have taught us, it’s that many people will risk their lives rather than leave their pets to the fates.
If you’re not facing a catastrophe right now, remember that you could be. Now is the time to prepare, not when a fire is rolling over the hill or a hurricane is coming in quickly.
The American Veterinary Medical Association has an outstanding pamphlet on disaster preparation for animal-lovers, and the content is all available for free on their Web site.
Here’s a link to that information.
We’ll use this post as a open thread for information as we get it.
On NPR this morning they had a story of a father who had to flee the approaching fire with his two daughters. They left behind several animals including a cat named Lucky who they recued as a kitten from a garbage can. Their apartment complex later burned to the ground.
I am truly glad they got out OK. But they knew the fire was coming. How much effort would it have taken to put the cat in a carrier, grab the goldfish bowl etc before they left?
Even if there weren’t free places to take your animals, you have a car. Put a litterbox on the floor of the back seat and keep the cat in the car if you have to (assuming that its not blazing hot).
Most of the human shelters are taking crated animals. So even if they decided to stay in a hotel room (which they did) drop the cat off somewhere or sneak the cat into the hotel room where you are staying.
Do not leave your pets behind. Yes your children come first, but your pets should be a close second.
Comment by 2CatMom — October 23, 2007 @ 6:56 am
I can’t imagine any circumstance that would make me abandon my animals. If I couldn’t take them,I wouldn’t go.How hard is it to grab a few leashes & crates ? You can always worry about food & litter later.
Comment by Leslie k — October 23, 2007 @ 7:33 am
I’m so glad to see all this on petconnection. I have a lot of friends in Cal. who are bengal breeders. I will send them all the info. I get from you.
Please take care everyone, We are all praying for this to be over.
Comment by Trudy Jackson — October 23, 2007 @ 7:43 am
Ever since Katrina I have been preaching disaster preparedness to my friends and family——G-d helps those who help themselves as Gramma used to say. I am always on the lookout for small pet travel crates at garage sales and rummage sales and have now picked up four of them beyond what my own pet family needs. I have never paid more than five dollars and once only a dollar. They are stored away but will be available for anyone’s use when/if the need arises. I have also loaned them out a few times already to friends who have needed them to temporarily house a stray or feral.
Comment by elizabeth R — October 23, 2007 @ 8:50 am
I absolutely agree with getting more crates than you need. I have at least 12 of them, all different sizes and varieties. At one time or another over the last 20-odd years, I’ve used them all, or lent them to people who needed help.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — October 23, 2007 @ 9:32 am
Read in my local paper that people with pets are
banned from Qualcomm Stadium and are gathered in the parking lot with their pets. Have we not learned anything from past disasters.
Comment by VJ — October 23, 2007 @ 1:00 pm
VJ - apparently not enough! I had heard that there were pets in the stadium - but who knows.
The most important thing is to have carriers close at hand. In this case many people have had a little time to get things together.
Many disasters come without warning. If you wake up in the middle of the night with your house on fire, you’ll have to act immediately. If your carriers are in the basement crawlspace or attic you are not going to have time to get them in this type of disaster.
Comment by 2CatMom — October 23, 2007 @ 1:56 pm
I don’t know if there’s a place to post something important that doesn’t fit into the current topics, but…I think tonight’s CNN special, “Planet in Peril” is something that most on this blog would want to see. There’s a segment about China and our food imports that everyone here is keenly interested in.
It’s scheduled for 9 pm EDT, but I see that it’s being repeated at 12 pm and throughout the night for those who have TIVO-like digital recorders. Part II of the series is on tomorrow night.
For a preview of the China segment, see the CNN website:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/.....index.html
If you can’t watch it, do read the article on this link. It’s a tragic state of affairs for the Chinese who can’t escape their terribly polluted waters (and crops irrigated with them), and tragic, as we have learned for those who are in the food chain for these exports.
Comment by Maureen — October 23, 2007 @ 3:55 pm
I live in Florida and have had to leave my home three times in the last 20 years. One of those time there was nothing left to come home to. I can understand the heartache of looking at your home and packing the most important things. But I would never leave a living thing behind to face a fire alone and scare. What type of person is this> We have a saying here among the pet owers who keep reservations at our shelters there always room for one more! No pets left behind!
Comment by emily — October 23, 2007 @ 4:01 pm
As someone who lives in southern CA and who in the past has been forced to evacuate, I know EXACTLY what to do to prepare. Any responsible person knows to plan ahead. What’s the big deal about collecting the pictures, financials, pet supplies, and a couple changes of clothes, pet food and water, halters and leashes, getting the crates out, and packing it all in your gas-filled car? If you don’t have to evacuate, big deal, it takes ten minutes to put the stuff away.
And NEVER, NEVER, NEVER leave your home to do a quick grocery expedition without your pets. Things happen quickly and you may not be allowed to go back to your home. Also remember the heat and leaving pets in cars. A catch-22. Best to have one adult stay at home with pets and the other adult go for food.
With all due respect to the folks who survived Katrina, Californians are nuts about their pets and will fight tooth and nail to protect them. And then there are some CA’ers who couldn’t care less.
Say prayers, folks.
Comment by Lynn — October 23, 2007 @ 4:27 pm