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PREPARING FOR AN EMERGENCY SITUATION:

Written By: D. Giorgianni

May 25, 2004

We live in a world of constant threat and more than occasional chaos. If it’s not Mother Nature burning down our houses, shaking them apart, or dumping relentless flood waters on us; it’s the very real threat of terrorist activity and unknown trouble yet to be released.

Recognizing the state of the world we live in and the ability to care for our reptiles in any situation, I offer a few guidelines to help you be prepared for the “Worst Case Scenario”.

There are a few things we can do, as responsible reptile owners that will help to insure the safety of our animals during a natural or man-made disaster. Remember the 5 P’s:

“Proper Prior Planning Prevents Problems”

Following are some tips and advise that may help you through a difficult situation. This is only a simple guideline, is not meant to represent a comprehensive list. Each reptile requires different habitats, food items, medicine, supplements and care. Please adjust your Kit accordingly.

PRIOR TO THE EVENT:

1) Take an inventory of all creatures that depend on your care. List by Name and feeding items. Thinking ahead will save you and the animal from stress later on. Think about what you can put in the EP Kit to replace normal foods (i.e. canned vegetables for herbivores, etc.) Prepare an Animal Inventory List like this one. Keep this in your EP Kit.

ANIMAL INVENTORY LIST

REPTILE:	FOOD ITEM REQUIREMENTS:	EMERGENCY REPLACEMENT:
Iguana	Vegetables, Greens, Fruits	Canned vegetables. Commercial foods. Fruit baby foods.
Geckos	Mealworms, Crickets.	Worms , Moths, Grasshoppers
Frogs	Mealworms, Crickets.	Worms , moths.

2) Prepare stickers or notes to hang on all entry/exit doors listing the animal, location and handling requirements. In a catastrophic event (fire, earthquake, and terror attack) this may be the only information the Emergency Services has to know there are animals in the house that need to be rescued. Always keep pillowcases or towels next to the cages for fast transport.

3) Be sure to have and review an Emergency Protocol Plan with your family members or those living in the home. Ensure all family members know the plan, the escape routes, their responsibilities for animal transport and a secure meeting place once safely outside.

4) Be sure your family members are aware of local water supplies be it a school, store or natural spring. Drinking water is sparse during natural and man-made disasters, so knowing where to get more water is essential.

5) Prepare an EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS KIT as described below.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS KIT:

þ	ITEM:	USE(S):
	Animal Inventory List	Provides a check-list in time of emergency.
	Blankets/Towels	Providing warmth, cover and for safe handling and transport.
	Heating Pad	With electricity, a safe way to heat reptiles.
	Candles	For low light visibility.
	Oil Lamp(s)	For low light visibility.
	Flashlight(s)	For low light visibility.
	Extra batteries	For all your battery driven items.
	Gas Grill	For heating/sterilizing water and cooking
	Propane tanks (various sizes)	Additional fuel for propane fueled items.
	Firewood and Kindling	For use in fireplaces or fire pits to keep warm.
	Jugs of potable water	For drinking/cleaning needs.
	Water Purifier	To disinfect non-potable water in extreme emergencies.
	Large pan or basin	For reptiles that poop in tubs, this will conserve water. Soaking pan if reptile is overheated during a summer event. Also for cleaning/rinsing things.
	Hot Water Bottle(s)	When filled with hot water, they can temporarily heat your reptile.
	Break-activated hand, foot and/or “fanny” warmers.	Source of heat for reptiles and humans.
	Large Cooler	For storing food, feeders, produce and an ice supply.
	Paper plates and plastic utensils.	For preparing herbivorous food and feeding the humans.
	Canned Foods	Vegetables, pumpkin, etc. For herbivorous reptile diets.
	Jars of baby food and syringes.	For force-feeding if the herbivorous reptiles go off feeding for several days.
	Manual can-opener.	Opening cans and bottles.
	Pillow Cases	Quick transport containers.
	Car Plug Adapters	Powering Cell phones and various other items.
	List of Phone numbers (Vet, Doctors, Hospitals, neighbors and Family, including out of state)	Handy emergency contact information.
	Cash	Purchasing needed supplies and food (in the event the ATM’s are down and/or Banks are not open.
	Paper Towels	General clean-up.
	Bleach/Sanitizing Agent.	General sanitation needs.
	Supplements (Ca:Ph powder and/or vitamins.)	To supplement diets.
	Reptile First Aid Kit	General First Aid needs.

WHEN THE EVENT IS IMMINENT:

1) Notify everyone in the household of the oncoming event.

2) Establish contact communication lines through telephone, 2-way radio or other means. Be sure family and friends know where you are located PRIOR to the event and what animals may need care BEFORE the communication lines go down.

3) Move everyone (animal and human to a central secure location). Be sure everyone is accounted for.

4) Plug in all cell phones and NiCad battery items to achieve as much charge as possible.

5) Quickly clean, thoroughly rinse and fill the bathtub with hot water. Especially if you use a water pump for water supply.

6) Locate your EP Kit and bring it into a secure, accessible location (house).

7) Load your coolers with ice in preparation for frozen food/feeders etc.

8) Load all necessary frozen foods, feeders, produce, dairy etc. into the coolers).

9) Review your Emergency Plan with everyone involved. Be sure they know their responsibilities.

DURING THE EVENT:

Once you have everyone/everything centrally located and secure in proper, safe enclosures, there are priorities that need to be addressed:

INJURIES:

Address and treat any injuries immediately. After evaluating all injured persons or animals, decide on the “next step”, if one is necessary. Make a plan and agree to it. Be sure everyone clearly knows their responsibilities. Assign people to look after injured persons or animals.

WATER SUPPLY:

Fill as many jugs or containers with water as quickly as possible. An adequate supply of drinking (potable) water is essential to human and animal survival.

If potable water is already limited; begin boiling and/or treating water to ensure there is plenty for everyone. Send folks to fetch water only if absolutely necessary.

SHELTER:

If you are left outside of your home, find a place to safely shelter everyone and the reptiles temporarily. Begin making calls to friends and relatives outside the effected area to let them know your location and status and make a plan to move your family and animals to another more secure location.

HEATING:

Most reptiles (and humans) need heat. This can quickly become the most challenging thing to provide when the electricity is cut off. There are several methods you can use to provide heat for your reptile. Choose the one most suitable to your needs and add those items to your EP Kit.

1) Back-up Generator:

a. Nice to have, but not very realistic. If you have one, that’s all you’ll need.

2) Propane Camp Stove/Space heater:

a. (Stove) Good source of heat for water and cooking.

b. Small propane canisters are easily stored.

3) Propane BBQ Grill:

a. Most have them and they can come in handy during a power outage.

4) Portable (fueled) hand warmers.

a. Bought at local Camping Supply Stores, these small hand warmers can provide temporary heat for your reptiles. Be sure to wrap them in a towel so the reptile does not come in direct contact with the heated warmer.

b. Most are re-usable.

5) Break Activated warmers.

a. As this technology advances there are more and more options from hand warmers to foot warmer to even “fanny” warmers.

b. Store easily and have long shelf-life.

c. Break to activate then use like a portable (fueled) warmer.

6) Blankets.

a. As a last resort wrap the animal in a blanket and keep it close to your body. Your body heat can be transferred to the animal in this way.