Today, on Sept 11, 2019, I am reminded of the tragic events that happened 18 years ago. That terrorist attack made me really think about my personal and professional emergency preparedness. What if it happened here? What if something happened to me, my business, or my family, including my pets?
So I began a focus every September on Disaster Preparedness, and here we are again. Our most common disasters aren’t big national or regional catastrophes. But a local tornado, house fire, or plumbing leak/flood could happen at any time, without warning. So I encourage everyone to look again at their family disaster plans, and adjust as necessary. Practice if you have young children.
Many events need the same planning. A house fire and flood are both reasons to leave the house with your pets, crates, leashes, food, and records/medicines. Those people in last year’s wildfires in California had only minutes to get out. A tornado or ice storm might leave you stranded inside your home. You still will need food and meds, but ideally you have some water stored and a first aid kit. Be ready.
This is a great time to check your microchips contact info. Many people have disconnected their land line telephone, or changed emails. If Fluffy goes missing due to down fences after a storm, you want for the rescuers to have the correct contact info on the chip. My two little pups climbed over the fence last month, and we were returned thanks to the microchips.
This is a great time to check out the Pet Portal on our website, gardenridgevet.com, and create an account. With that Portal, you can access you pet’s vaccines anytime, anywhere. Forgot to pack the proof of rabies vaccine for boarding? You can pull it on your phone and show the kennel.
This is great time to talk with the all the family members about our plans. As adults, we may know them, but do our teenage children (or spouses) know the details? Where is our tornado shelter in our home? Where is our rendezvous spot outside the house? Who is in charge of the crates, etc? Who is our point of contact outside our area that we can call or check in with?
This is a great time to reflect on the loss of life that fateful day in 2001, but also to be constructive about what we can do to mitigate personal disasters to keep them from becoming tragic.
For a digital 28 page booklet, Saving the Whole Family,
For a Texas perspective of disasters
