Hurricane and Emergency Procedures for Pets

Some pets can not take the heat. Power outages, natural disasters, and other emergencies are going to happen and you need to be prepared the best you can. Here are some tips:

Evacuation and Shelters: Most hurricane shelters do not allow pets. Call your hurricane shelters ahead of time and find out for sure. If they do not allow pets, know which hotels accept pets.

Important documents: Make sure to have all your pets licenses, vaccine records, pedigrees and such in a ready to go folder in case of evacuation. Have feed and care instructions written up for all your pets in case you have to board your pets somewhere.

Prepackage a week or more worth of food and hay in case you have to evacuate or your food/hay supply gets contaminated. Humidity and structural damage to roofs can contaminate your food and hay with water and mold.

Have bottled water on hand. If you are on well water and your power goes out you can not pump water into your house. If you have city water you usually have access to water however make sure to boil any water in case of contamination.

Have enough carriers for all your pets. You may want to kennel any cats or dogs. In case of window breakage or structural damage you don't want them walking on glass or escaping. Have enough carriers for each animal in case of evacuation. Label all carriers with live animal warnings and your name and address.

Move all cages away from windows. During hurricanes outside objects and trees can shatter windows and cause damage to cages and animals.

AC and keeping cool: Before the hurricane hits freeze jugs of water, ice packs, anything that can be used to cool your chinchilla down. If your power goes out you need to have a plan to keep your pet cool. Ice packs and such will only last for a day or so depending on how many you have and the temps. If you have a generator you can purchase a small window ac unit if not you need to have a back up plan to evacuate your pets to somewhere with ac. Call local kennels and vets ahead of time to ask them if they have generators and AC in case of power outages, find out if they will open for emergency situations such as hurricanes, and ask if they are willing to care for a whatever pet you have.

Make sure to have enough gas on hand for your generators and cars. Many gas stations run out of gas during natural disasters or do not have power for the pumps to work.