Pet Preparedness

Pets & Animals in Distress has put the below following Hurricane Preparedness Guide be to all pet owners that could be in the direct path of Hurricane Gustav. For those of us who might have been in denial: It's pretty clear that we indeed are in the heart of hurricane season now, with Gustav heading toward the Gulf Coast and Hannah barreling through the Atlantic.
Does your family have a hurricane preparedness plan to include for your pets? And if you have to evacuate, do you have somewhere to go that will take your animals, too?
The Pets & Animals in Distress Web site is a great resource center that offers pet preparedness and disaster information that includes a good hurricane checklist for pet owners, pet friendly hotels and Hurricane Center Directory. You can visit us at:
http://www.petsandanimals.org/pet_disaster_tips.asp

Disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes and floods don't just affect you -- they also affect your pets. And your pets depend on you for their safety. There are many ways to be "Pet Prepared," but you must think ahead and start planning NOW. During a disaster, if you see an injured or stranded animal that needs help, contact your local animal control officer or animal shelter.

Please follow the below tips in case of immediate evacuation of you and your pets in those targeted regions.

The separation or loss of a pet can have a profound impact on a family! We should make every effort to insure our pets are safe and with us. A written disaster plan, particularly in households with pets can lessen a disaster's impact and save lives!  Advanced planning is essential and could save your pet(s) life and the best recommended plan is to take your pet with you when and if you have to evacuate. REMEMBER- Public Shelters Do Not Allow Pets!

All facilities in a disaster area may be subject to some degree of damage or flooding. If you are thinking of boarding your pet, consider the difficulties of providing a healthy environment without electricity, running water, plus limited supplies and personnel! Contact your veterinarian or local humane society for information on preparing your pets for an emergency.

BEFORE THE DISASTER
   Make sure that your pets are current on their vaccinations.  Pet shelters may require proof of vaccines.
   Have a current photograph
   Keep a collar with identification on your pet and have a leash on hand to control your pet.
   Have a properly sized pet carrier for each animal - carriers should be large enough for the animal to stand and turn around.
   Plan your evacuation strategy and don't forget your pet!  Specialized pet shelters, animal control shelters, veterinary clinics and friends and relatives out of harm's way are ALL potential refuges for your pet during a disaster.

If you plan to shelter your pet - work it into your evacuation route planning.

DURING THE DISASTER

   Animals brought to a pet shelter are required to have:  Proper identification collar and rabies tag, proper identification on all belongings, a carrier or cage, a leash, an ample supply of food, water and food bowls, any necessary medications, specific care instructions and news papers or trash bags for clean-up.
   Bring pets indoor well in advance of a storm - reassure them and remain calm.
   Pet shelters will be filled on first come, first served basis.  Call ahead and determine availability.

AFTER THE DISASTER

   Walk pets on a leash until they become re-oriented to their home - often familiar scents and landmarks may be altered and pets could easily be confused and become lost.  Also, downed power lines, reptiles brought in with high water and debris can all pose a threat for animals after a disaster.
   If pets cannot be found after a disaster, contact the local animal control office to find out where lost animals can be recovered.  Bring along a picture of your pet if possible.
   After disaster animals can become aggressive or defensive - monitor their behavior.

PET DISASTER SUPPLY KIT

 Proper identification including immunization records
 Ample supply of food and water
 A carrier or cage
 Medications
 Muzzle, collar and leash

PET HELP LINKS

 The HUMANE SOCIETY Disaster Center -- http://www.hsus.org/hsus_field/hsus_disaster_center/
 FEMA - Animals and Emergencies - http://www.fema.gov/individual/animals.shtm
 Locate PET-FRIENDLY Hotels & Motels - http://www.petswelcome.com/

Emergency Pet Preparedness

Pet & Animals in Distress knows the importance of promoting pet safety awareness, when it comes to protecting our cherished pet family members in case of home Fires or any natural disaster crisis that may occur anytime such as (Hurricanes, Tornados, Earthquakes, Floods or Snowstorms). Having "Rescue Rover" Pet Alert Fire Rescue window decals on windows gives firefighters or emergency personnel a much better chance of alerting them that there are pets inside of a residence and lets them know how many and what type of pets that are inside when they arrive on the scene that need to be rescued. "Rescue Rover" Pet Alert Fire Rescue decals can greatly increase a pet's chances of survival of being saved from a home fire or disaster, and the number of tragic companion animal deaths can be significantly reduced. There is no price you can pay to protect and save a pet family member.

Receive your Free "Rescue Rover" Pet Alert Decals with your donation to Pets & Animals in Distress. https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=2025


Don't forget your pet when preparing a family disaster plan. Please cross post and forward this pet safety preparedness message on to other pet owners

Thank you and our prayers go out to all that are in harms way!


Brenda Beck, Founder/ President
Pets & Animals in Distress
www.petsandanimals.org
"Your Best Friends Helping Our Best Friends"


1511 east Commercial Blvd
PMB #129
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33334
United States

--
For the cats,

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue
an Educational Sanctuary home
to more than 100 big cats
12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL 33625
813.493.4564 fax 885.4457

http://www.BigCatRescue.org MakeADifference@BigCatRescue.org

Sign our petition to protect tigers from being farmed here:

http://capwiz.com/bigcatrescue/issues/alert/?alertid=9952801&type=CU

This message contains information from Big Cat Rescue that may be
confidential or privileged. The information contained herein is intended
only for the eyes of the individual or entity named above. You are hereby
notified that any dissemination, distribution, disclosure, and/or copying of
the information contained in this communication is strictly prohibited. The
recipient should check this e-mail and any attachments for the presence of
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Hurricane Preparedness

How do you prepare a 45 acre sanctuary housing 100+ big cats for a Hurricane? Since 2004's episode including 4 major hurricanes in 6 weeks we get asked that question a lot.

The answer isn't something that can be said in a sound byte though, because it takes months of planning, preparing and training to make sure that when the winds quit howling, the cats don't start howling from the wrong side of the fence.

It starts with the caging. Our cages are built from galvanized wire panels that are twice what the state standards require for strength. Vern builds them in rounded, peanut styled formations that utilize the strength of the curvature without the necessity of posts. Because there is nothing to catch the wind, which is the major factor in a hurricane, there is nothing to blow away. Almost all of our Cat-A-Tats (our word for cages) have roofs made of the same material so the animal is safely contained on the top, sides and bottom. The only major damage we have had to cages was in the non roofed enclosures. Anticipating that, we had moved cats living in those enclosures into roofed cages to ride out the storms. By this hurricane season all of our cats have their own "safe area" with a roof and we are raising funds now to roof the remainder of the cages. You can help by donating here: Donate.

The non roofed areas all are equipped with two or three strands of hot wire that is solar powered, because in a hurricane, the first thing to go is the power. The solar units we use are very expensive but are reported to last 5 days in the dark. Fortunately we have never had to test that claim; losing only 3 days of power at any given time. All of our cats have dens to escape the rain. Some of the small cats have igloo type dog houses that are shaped like tree stumps and barrels with one end half cut out up in the trees. Most of the cats have some form of concrete den that is built to accommodate their size. A cougar, for instance, has an underground area (which is actually elevated above the grade to prevent water from pooling inside) that is 8 feet by 12 feet by 2.5 feet high. Over that is a mountain of dirt, plants and grass that provides a cool area in the summer and warmth against the chilling winds in the winter. There isn't a tree big enough to smash one of these 4 inch thick, rebar reinforced, concrete dens that are buried inside our man made hills.

Most of the other places in Florida housing exotic animals reported losing most of their trees during Charly, Francis, Ivan and Jeanne but we only lost a couple of dead pine trees. As we looked around, and thought about why, we concluded that the same thing that kept our cats from blowing away, kept our trees from toppling as well. Most of them are "caged". We build our Cat-A-Tats around trees and Vern very cleverly encloses the top into the center of the boughs so that the cats have lots of opportunities to climb and to do the things they would in the wild, like sleep in the trees all day and wait for night. Because all of our best trees are part of enclosures this way, they were anchored to the ground by 1200 square foot cages. The wind just couldn't get a good enough grip to pull them up from the soggy earth.

All of the damage we did receive was from the dead pine trees and we have called monthly to get our regular tree service out to remove the rest of the dead trees but they have had so much work since last fall that they never could get to us. In June of 2005 we contracted with M & R Tree Service at half the price we were being charged and are taking out 54 pine trees that died from the combination of drought and beetles. This is costing us $300.00 per tree just to drop them and then our staff and volunteers are working, non-stop, to cut up the logs and haul off the branches. This means lots of use for the chainsaws and chippers that were donated last year. One of our Jungle Cat cages didn't survive the tree clearing process as the largest pine on the property landed squarely on top of it.

Hurricane preparedness has a lot to do with our people. Long before the first cloud blows in off the bay they have been rehearsing for the worst possible situation. Thanks to the Volunteer Committee, regular drills are performed, documented and analyzed to see where we have come up short and what we can do to make sure that we are ready in the case of a real emergency such as a loose cat, an injured person or a fire. Jamie is always checking the supplies in the Emergency Response Center and Cathy checks the Cat Hospital supplies on a monthly basis. These crucial supplies are always being checked, rechecked and restocked as they expire. Classes are offered weekly to our members in such things as Animal Emergency, Human CPR and how to find the right tools and the right people in the most effective manner. Everyone knows the chain of command and who has access to dart guns, tranquilizers and the expertise to use them. All of our staff, volunteers and interns carry a two way radio with them at all times and do a radio check upon entering the property to be sure they can hear and be heard.

Our people are taught from day one that they have to lay eyes on every cat they care for and to report anything amiss with the animal and to report any threat to the cage that may compromise its ability to contain its inhabitant. Those observations are all logged in a daily record and Scott, the Operations Manager, double checks the entries and the cause each day. His actions are then logged in his Daily Red Book and reviewed at the weekly staff meetings. All maintenance and preventative maintenance is done immediately. Chris, Honey, a band of Interns and Scott live on site and the perimeter fence is walked throughout the day and night daily to inspect for threats to its integrity. During inclement weather all of these processes are stepped up. Thanks to our involvement with Hillsborough County's Emergency Operations Center we get up to the minute reports on all tropical storms and hurricanes via e-mail, complete with radar photos, tracking projections and information on what is being done across the state to prepare.

The cats are prepared for emergencies as well. Thanks to an awesome Operant Conditioning Program led by Jen, the cats are trained to come into "lockout" on command. This lockout can be detached, with the cat, his water bowl, his feeding tray and enough room to live comfortably for a few weeks if there were a fire, or a breach in the cage that compromised both sections of his Cat-A-Tat. Most of our cages are built in at least two sections so that the cat can be shut into one side or the other for cleaning or repair, but in the worst case scenario we are prepared to move the cat completely and the cat does it all the time, so it isn't so scary for the resident animal. The cats are also trained to come to a target if we need to move them from side to side and while we haven't tried that outside their cage, we are prepared to with our new golf cart gear. Mouse over the golf cart photo for another view.

Golf Cart RenovationDespite all of the best planning, things go wrong. What if a big cat escapes his enclosure? Then what? Oddly, you can drive right up to a big cat and they don't even think twice about it, but the minute you step out of the car, you are lunch or you are to be run from. Neither of those options is conducive to a successful recapture. There are some places on the property that you just can't get to by car but you can access these areas by golf cart. Treats always come on golf carts and so do the Operant Conditioning people, so the cats LOVE golf carts. Vern designed a portable cage that can be dropped down over the frame of a golf cart in a matter of seconds that protects the driver and a "shooter" much like the notion of sending a person in a cage down into a tank of sharks. The golf cart can get within a couple feet of the cat in most cases and lure the cat back to a safe area by way of targeting as we do in Operant Conditioning, or the cat can be darted with a tranquilizer. In the worst case, where escape from the property is eminent, the cat must be shot with a bullet. Our staff has been trained and practices regularly with dart guns, blow pipes, and rifles and shotguns if there is no other alternative. They have been mentally preparing for the day when they may have to shoot one of their "best friends" to keep the cat from being a danger to society, because avoiding an escape is critical to the continuance of the sanctuary for all of the good that we do for the rest of the animals.

Last, but certainly most important, we PRAY!

Ernesto fizzles - Tampa Bay tropical storm warnings, watches canceled

Great news for Big Cat Rescue!

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Tropical Storm Ernesto is moving north-northwest through South Florida at 8 mph with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.

Bay News 9 meteorologists said the storm going through central Florida is a far better scenario than staying in the gulf or the Atlantic Ocean.

The current forecast calls for the storm to head through Florida and out to the Atlantic Ocean, then rapidly move into the Carolinas.

A flood watch is in effect for Polk, Pinellas, Hillsborough and Manatee counties until the evening. An inland tropical storm warning has been posted for Polk County.

There are no longer any hurricane watches posted for Ernesto in Florida. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for Florida's entire east coast and from Bonita Beach south to the Florida Keys.

A tropical storm watch that had been in effect for the Gulf Coast from Tarpon Springs to Englewood has been dropped.

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2006/8/30/178573.html? title=Ernesto%20moves%20across%20South%20Florida

Rain, occasional squalls in Tampa - severe weather will stay to the east

Last Edited: Tuesday, 29 Aug 2006, 4:58 PM EDT

TAMPA – As Tropical Storm Ernesto moves closer to Florida, questions still loom about where the storm will end up. FOX 13's weather team is keeping a close eye on its projected track.

The 5 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center indicated Ernesto was located at 24.3N, 80.2W, having moved into the open water in the Florida Straits. It was centered about 100 miles south of MIami, and it was moving northwest at 13 mph.

FOX 13 Meteorologist Howard Shapiro said this latest advisory shows some slight changes to the projected path of the storm, but not a significant overall change.

The new track takes the storm slightly further to the west than originally anticipated. The latest advisory indicates that the storm would move slightly up Florida's west coast by 8 a.m. Wednesday, and then make the right turn forecasters have been expecting. It would continue across the state, exiting somewhere near Jacksonville.

With the morning advisory came a tropical storm watch for much of the Bay Area. The watch extends all the way up the west coast of Florida to Tarpon Springs.

Shapiro says if this track holds true, it would mean that Hardee, Desoto, Polk, and Highlands Counties would see some effects of the storm. But, he says Skytower HD Vipir indicates it's still the east coast that will bear the brunt of the weather.

"With most of the active weather in a tropical system on its east side, then the brunt of this is going to be hitting the east coast of our state more than it is the west coast of our state," Shapiro said.

He says the Bay Area can expect some rainy weather with occasional squalls moving through, but most of the severe weather that comes with the storm will stay to our east.

Shapiro says we can expect to see conditions continue to deteriorate late tonight and continuing through tomorrow.

The storm is expected to accelerate as it moves north through Florida.

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=672977&version=121&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1

Inland tropical storm watch extended for Tampa Bay area

MIAMI, Florida (AP) — Forecasters say Tropical Storm Ernesto is pulling away from the Cuban coast and moving toward Florida, but they also say the storm hasn't strengthened yet.

An inland tropical storm watch is in effect for Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota counties. Polk, DeSoto, Hardee and Highlands counties are now under an inland tropical storm warning. Also, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center now say a coastal tropical storm watch is in effect from Englewood north to Tarpon Springs.

At 11 am, Eastern Time, Ernesto was packing 45 mile-per-hour winds and was about 180 miles south-southeast of Miami, moving northwest at 13 miles-per-hour.

Forecasters expect outer bands from Ernesto to hit the Miami area this afternoon, with weather getting worse into the evening. But they say the storm remains disorganized, and only modest strengthening is expected. They say the chance of it becoming a hurricane before hitting Florida is remote.

However, forecasters say there is a chance that Ernesto could become a hurricane after it leaves Florida and takes aim at the Carolinas.

http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=38386

Ernesto: 5 a.m. advisory for Tuesday

Miami, Florida - The National Hurricane Center says a tropical storm warning has been extended north along Florida's Atlantic coast to New Smyrna Beach.

A tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch are now in effect from New Smyrna Beach southward on the east coast, including Lake Okeechobee, from Bonita Beach southward on the west coast and for all of the Florida Keys from Ocean Reef to the Dry Tortugas. A hurricane warning may be required for portions of South Florida and the Florida Keys later this morning.

At 5 am, the center of Tropical Storm Ernesto was located about 230 miles southeast of Key West and about 235 miles from Miami. It's moving toward the northwest near 14 mph and this general motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours.

On the forecast track, the center of Ernesto will be near the Florida Keys or southeast Florida by this evening. However, squally rainbands will be moving onshore these areas during the afternoon.

http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=38386

Ernesto moving off Cuba

Monday, August 28, 2006

Tropical Storm Ernesto's winds have slowed to near 40 mph, down from 75 mph earlier Sunday when it became the first hurricane of the Atlantic season.

As of 6 p.m. Monday, Ernesto was at 21.3 N and 76.9 W., moving off Cuba's northern coast. It is moving NW at 13 mph and its barometric pressure is at 1007 mb.

Storm warnings and watches are:

Tropical storm watch for Polk County
Tropical storm warning for southeast Florida and the Keys
Tropical storm watch on the southwest coast from Sarasota County southward
Hurricane watch on the east coast from New Smyrna Beach southward through the Keys

Bay News 9 chief meteorologist Mike Clay said the storm is currently poorly organized. Clay said the National Hurricane Center is keeping Ernesto as a tropical storm across Florida, not strengthening into a hurricane until it's past Florida.

Ernesto could affect the Florida peninsula by Wednesday.

Ernesto moved onshore in eastern Cuba Monday morning, after lashing the southern coast of Haiti and the Dominican Republic with heavy rain Sunday, flooding homes. At least one person was killed.

Bay News 9 meteorologists said Ernesto was downgraded because it interacted with the land mass of Hispaniola and its wind speed fell to 60 mph. However, it could regain strength rapidly once it emerges over open waters.

Meanwhile, the Polk County Emergency Operations Center has partially activated with minimal staff. There are no plans to open shelters unless the hurricane track changes. Other EOC's in the Bay area will meet today to decide their course of action.

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2006/8/28/178137.html?title=Ernesto%20moving%20off%20Cuba

Florida getting ready for brush with Tropical Storm Ernesto

The 11 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center has Ernesto's most likely path going well east of Tampa, but Tampa is still in the "cone of probability".

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KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — Floridians are getting ready for a brush with Tropical Storm Ernesto.

About 400 miles of coast are under a hurricane watch from New Smyrna Beach southward on the east coast and from Chokoloskee southward on the west coast. Sustained winds of at least 74 miles-an-hour are possible by late tomorrow night. The Keys were put under a watch yesterday afternoon.

The National Hurricane Center says that's because Ernesto could become a hurricane after it reaches the warm waters north of Cuba. Forecasters say there is a ten percent chance of hurricane-force winds striking South Florida and a 60 percent chance of tropical storm-force winds.

A state of emergency is in effect for all Florida, because forecasters say Ernesto could potentially threaten a large swath of the state by late in the week.

At 11 am, the storm had top sustained winds of 40 miles-an-hour. It's centered over Cuba, about 35 miles northwest of Guantanamo, and about 485 miles southeast from Key West. It's moving northwest at ten miles-an-hour.

Click here to watch our 24-hour weather channel online.

http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=38318

Tropical Storm Ernesto: 5 am advisory out

Miami, Florida - Forecasters from the National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for the southern peninsula of Florida as Tropical Storm Ernesto grows closer today.

The watch was issued from Deerfield Beach near Boca Raton southward on the east coast and from Chokoloskee southward on the west coast. A hurricane watch remained in effect for all of the Florida Keys, according to the latest 5 AM advisory.

Ernesto had maximum sustained winds of 50 miles-per-hour today. But forecasters cautioned that the storm could regain hurricane strength before its anticipated arrival today on Cuba's southeastern coast.

A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions could develop in the area within 36 hours.

Visitors were ordered to leave the Keys yesterday and Governor Jeb Bush issued a state of emergency because of the possibility that Ernesto could threaten much of the state.

At 5 am, the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season was centered 45 miles south-southeast of Guantanamo, Cuba, and about 600 miles from the middle and lower Keys. Ernesto is moving northwest at 12 miles-per-hour.

Click here to watch our 24-hour weather channel online.

http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=38318

Ernesto now a hurricane

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Tropical Storm Ernesto strengthened into the first hurricane of the year in the Atlantic basin early Sunday morning in the Caribbean, with landfall possible in the Florida peninsula Thursday.

Its winds increased to 75 mph, thus the upgrade to hurricane status.

Ernesto's location is about 115 miles of Port Au Prince, Haiti, and 210 miles south southeast of Guantanamo, Cuba, as it moves toward the northwest at nine miles an hour.

According to Bay News 9 meteorologist Josh Linker, Ernesto's intensity prior to reaching the Gulf of Mexico will be determined by how much time it spends over Cuba.

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2006/8/27/177698.html? title=Ernesto%20now%20a%20hurricane

NOAA: August 2006 Update to Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook

Issued: 8 August 2006

Atlantic Hurricane Outlook & Seasonal Climate Summary Archive

SUMMARY

NOAA continues to predict a high likelihood (75% chance) of an above-normal 2006 Atlantic hurricane season and a 20% chance of a near-normal season, according to a consensus of scientists at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center (CPC), National Hurricane Center (NHC), and Hurricane Research Division (HRD). Therefore, 2006 is forecast to be the tenth above-normal season in the last twelve years. See NOAA’s definitions of above-, near-, and below-normal seasons.

This updated outlook calls for a seasonal total of 12-15 named storms, with 7-9 becoming hurricanes, and 3-4 becoming major hurricanes (categories 3-5 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale). The likely range of NOAA’s Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index (Bell and Halpert, 2000) is 110%-170% of the median. These totals include the three tropical storms (Alberto, Beryl, and Chris) that have already occurred. Therefore, for the remainder of the season, we expect an additional 9-12 named storms, 7-9 hurricanes, and 3-4 major hurricanes.

The predicted 2006 activity mainly reflects a continuation of conditions associated with the multi-decadal signal, which has favored above-normal Atlantic hurricane seasons since 1995. These conditions include warmer than average sea surface temperatures (SSTs), lower vertical wind shear, reduced sea level pressure, and a more conducive structure of the African easterly jet.

While we are predicting an active season, a repeat of last year’s record season is unlikely. The season is also expected to be slightly less active than previously forecast on 22 May 2006, when 13-16 Named Storms, 8-10 hurricanes, and 4-6 major hurricanes were predicted. The expected activity is lower for three reasons: 1) atmospheric and oceanic conditions are not as conducive as previously forecast, 2) the transition away from La Niña-like rainfall patterns occurred more quickly than expected, and 3) the very persistent upper-level ridge pattern over the eastern U.S. and western Atlantic, which contributed to the extremely active 2003-2005 hurricane seasons, is not present.

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Full report available at:

http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/outlooks/hurricane.shtml