5 Simple Tips on Preparing your Family Pets for a Disaster

brought to you by www.PetsReady.com

Disasters can happen anywhere at any time. The public doesn’t usually get a lot of notice before a disaster strikes, so you must be prepared in advance and know what to do quickly if there is an emergency.

Here are 5 simple steps that you can take to prepare your pets and reduce the level of stress and worry for your entire family to a minimum.

Tip #1. Get a Pet Emergency Supplies Kit.
Have it readily accessible and make sure it consists of at least the following items:

• Pet first aid kit that will cover your pets’ emergency medical needs. If your pets take any medications, add some extra supplies.
• Food (in water proof container) and water, 3-day ration.
• Collars with ID tags - make sure the information is current and updated. You might consider microchipping as permanent identification as collars get lost.
• Safety harness and leash.
• Sanitation Items.
• Rescue Pet Decals – to alert rescue teams to save your pets inside the house.
• Comfort toys and blankets to take with your pets if you have to evacuate.

Tip #2. Pack a picture of your pets in case you get separated.
It will help rescue workers to identify and reunite you with your pets faster.

Tip #3. Get your pets familiar with their carriers or crates.
Usually, pets associate them with visits to the vet and become stressed at the first site of them. Let your pets play in the carrier or get them some treats to make the transition easier when the time comes.

Tip #4. Know your pets hiding places in and out of the house.
At the first warning of a disaster, you might consider putting them in one room in case you have to leave in a hurry.

Tip #5. Have a Family Emergency Plan Ready:

• Map out a get-away plan: how you pack your pets, where you go.
• Check with the nearby shelters, veterinary hospitals, and hotels to see if they would take your pets in an emergency.
• Develop a pet care buddy system – arrange for friends or extended family to take your pets in if you must evacuate in a shelter that doesn’t allow pets for health issues. Instruct your caretakers on the location of the emergency supplies kit and anything else you might find useful.
• Learn about various disasters that could strike your particular area. You might have to wait home longer before getting an order to evacuate, so get some extra supplies of food and water.
• If you have to evacuate, take your pets with you if possible.
  

For more emergency preparedness related information please visit http://www.PetsReady.com

Family Emergency Preparedness 2006

Thought Hurricane season 2005 with Katrina and Rita was bad? Well get ready for 2006 as it will be equally as bad or worse. As an emergency preparedness consultant featured on CNN and Fox News, I can assure you that if you are not prepared you could meet the same fate as hundreds of people did during Katrina. NO scare tactics just the truth! First of all you need to have a water supply on hand for at least one week for each member of the family. We suggest one gallon per day per family member as the MINIMUM! Sure the people in New Orleans were surrounded by water but it was totally unfit to drink. Next you need a supply of food that can be protected from rising water. You need to put it in LARGE plastic waterproof containers. You should have food for at least a week in the form of MREs and typical staples like peanut butter, jelly, honey, crackers, and can goods of baked beans, vegetables, soups, Spam, tuna, sardines, Vienna sausages, salmon, chicken, etc. Don't wait until the hurricane is upon you to get these items! Next you need for EVERY member of the family to have a Preparedness Travel Backpack with: clothes, a pair of sneakers, socks, underwear, a protective hat/cap, good quality poncho, an individual NASA blanket and or sleeping bag (these are folded so tight in their packages that you can easily get them in the backpack)and most importantly ID packets as described in my FR** Emergency Preparedness Guide at http://www.usprepared.com. You will need a well equipped first aid kit that also can be kept in one of the backpacks along with an emergency radio that can be manually wound up. Put in a LARGE supply of matches that have been waterproofed. SEVERAL flashlights that feature the new LED lights that can be either shaken or wound up. Also make sure to have a supply of FRESH batteries of every size that you will be needing NOW not later! If you are traveling by vehicle, that vehicle should have FDA approved plastic containers for your drinking water and several other ones for your vehicle to keep it from overheating. You need GOOD quality plastic 5 gallon GAS containers filled up NOW. Keep a supply of oil and transmission fluid in the car along with several cans of those tire inflating aerosols. If you don't have a high quality tool kit for your vehicle get one NOW! Also have some form of emergency flashers available. Also make sure and have a family tent in the vehicle. How many people did you see during Hurricane Katrina that had to wait for FEMA to provide tents? Certainly you have fire extinguishers at home. Well do you also have one for each vehicle? If not, get then NOW! You are going to need to have your food supplies mentioned above in BIG plastic containers that can be moved to the vehicle without taking the time to stock it up. Do that NOW! There is a lot more that you will need to know and it's all available at http://www.usprepared.com in the FREE Emergency Preparedness Guide. Also you will find info there on preparing for bird flu too.

Family Emergency Preparedness 2006

Thought Hurricane season 2005 with Katrina and Rita was bad? Well get ready for 2006 as it will be equally as bad or worse. As an emergency preparedness consultant featured on CNN and Fox News, I can assure you that if you are not prepared you could meet the same fate as hundreds of people did during Katrina. NO scare tactics just the truth! First of all you need to have a water supply on hand for at least one week for each member of the family. We suggest one gallon per day per family member as the MINIMUM! Sure the people in New Orleans were surrounded by water but it was totally unfit to drink. Next you need a supply of food that can be protected from rising water. You need to put it in LARGE plastic waterproof containers. You should have food for at least a week in the form of MREs and typical staples like peanut butter, jelly, honey, crackers, and can goods of baked beans, vegetables, soups, Spam, tuna, sardines, Vienna sausages, salmon, chicken, etc. Don't wait until the hurricane is upon you to get these items! Next you need for EVERY member of the family to have a Preparedness Travel Backpack with: clothes, a pair of sneakers, socks, underwear, a protective hat/cap, good quality poncho, an individual NASA blanket and or sleeping bag (these are folded so tight in their packages that you can easily get them in the backpack)and most importantly ID packets as described in my FR** Emergency Preparedness Guide at http://www.usprepared.com. You will need a well equipped first aid kit that also can be kept in one of the backpacks along with an emergency radio that can be manually wound up. Put in a LARGE supply of matches that have been waterproofed. SEVERAL flashlights that feature the new LED lights that can be either shaken or wound up. Also make sure to have a supply of FRESH batteries of every size that you will be needing NOW not later! If you are traveling by vehicle, that vehicle should have FDA approved plastic containers for your drinking water and several other ones for your vehicle to keep it from overheating. You need GOOD quality plastic 5 gallon GAS containers filled up NOW. Keep a supply of oil and transmission fluid in the car along with several cans of those tire inflating aerosols. If you don't have a high quality tool kit for your vehicle get one NOW! Also have some form of emergency flashers available. Also make sure and have a family tent in the vehicle. How many people did you see during Hurricane Katrina that had to wait for FEMA to provide tents? Certainly you have fire extinguishers at home. Well do you also have one for each vehicle? If not, get then NOW! You are going to need to have your food supplies mentioned above in BIG plastic containers that can be moved to the vehicle without taking the time to stock it up. Do that NOW! There is a lot more that you will need to know and it's all available at http://www.usprepared.com in the FREE Emergency Preparedness Guide. Also you will find info there on preparing for bird flu too.