I have waited until everyone could have a say about leaving the animals and an evacuation plan. Now, I would like to share a little perspective from my experience. I have been a disaster instructor with the Red Cross for more than 10 years. I have worked in shelters, in family assistance centers and in the EOC. This is a very emotional topic and it is also one that does allow us to make a better plan. It is easy to say we know exactly what we would do if we were in a certain situation. But, the truth is, we don't know until we get there. I was the supervisor in charge of shelters during Hurricane Floyd (1999). I had an elderly woman who had lived alone ask me from her shelter bed if I would check on her dog. She had to leave it at home so she could come to the shelter, where animals weren't allowed. I didn't have to check because I knew from her address that her house was under water - and so was her dog. Did I tell her that? No, I said I would have AC check. Yeah, I was a coward. I couldn't tell this little old lady who had no place else to go, nothing to her name, that she left her dog home to die. He was all that mattered to her, but she had no choice except to stay home and die with him. People who live in hurricane prone areas have some of the best advice about evacuating. The Houston Area Ferret Association has a great page for preparing to evacuate. Now, FERRET also has information up that is great to help you make a plan. There is information from Lisa Leidig at the St. Louis Symposium and the presentation by Susann Theil from the Portland Symposium. The American Red Cross has a lot of excellent information available about sheltering in place, evacuating due to hazmat situations and weather situations. But, what about fires and unexpected floods? Did you know that anyone anywhere anytime can have a local disaster? In today's world, you never know what can happen. ARE YOU READY? Do you have an evacuation plan? Ask yourself, could I really get my family and animals out of here safely? How long would it take? What would it require? If you cannot reasonably get out, perhaps you will need to shelter in place. So, look around. What do you need to do to make it a survival situation and not a death trap? PLAN NOW. When the time comes you will not have time to plan and you will not be able to tind the things you need anyway. FERRET will be making a special offer to you in the near future. Start making your plan now and let's see what we can do to make this a safer ferret community. -- renee :) It's amazing how much can be accomplished if nobody cares who gets the credit! "The most effective way to do it, is to do it." Amelia Earhart Ferret Emergency Response, Rescue & Evacuation Team (F.E.R.R.E.T.) http://www.ferretemergency.org [log in to unmask] International Ferret Congress http://www.ferretcongress.org American Red Cross http://www.redcross.org [Posted in FML 5709]