Storm Prepardness

Hi All,

I live south of Houston, TX and we are under a tropical storm/hurricane advisory watch. It's expected we will be impacted by this storm, at this point extreme flooding. We are planning to evacuate so I have planned and prepared my plan from two years ago when it was a topic on our blog. This is my first evac with parrots. I wanted to share and document activities so others can learn and utilize processes and ideas.

I have three parrots, three dogs and a mother in law, lol. I have individual travel cages for each parrot. Why? My fids get picky with each other, each having their own cage keeps them from having conflict with each other and injuring each other. I plan on covering their cages in the CAB of my truck while we travel to inlaws around Austin, TX. I take the fids, Husband takes the dogs, lol.

My fids eat fresh so when we arrive, there are great local fresh markets and I will go shopping. I have frozen chop too that I will take for them too.

At this time these are the things I've identified for evacuating with my fids. I'm hoping others will share their evac thoughts.

I would also make sure you include a couple gallons of fresh drinking water and enough room temp stable food for the fids (and yourself) for at least a couple days. Evacuations can lead to traffic jams and other unforseen events that would not occur with normal traveling. If you were to get delayed on the road and need to stay in a motel or something overnight, it would do you well to be prepared ahead of time.

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I live in the Great White North and we are far more subject to fast moving storms that provide advance knowledge of anywhere from several days to a few hours to OMG its happening now! That defines our Storm Prepardness as 'Shelter In Place.'

The majority of what we do occurs years before hand in the selection of one's home /apartment's location. Staying out of flood prone zones and known low spots prevents flooding and sanitary sewer back-ups!

Knowing where to shelter within the home /apartment (or where the development / apartment complex has a Storm Shelter) if taking shelter is required. Taking the time to define a shelter area in your home is important as overtime, stuff can begin to fill in those areas you may need to get to in moments. So, remember to keep them ready!

Loss of electrical service has become one of the major issues in today's World as the shut-down of coal fired power plants has greatly weakened the support system of the power grid. Today, the loss of electrical lines between you and the current plant will likely put you in the dark as secondary supply sources and routing has become very limited to most areas. Localized supply has also been weakened as power lines have become over-grown by tree branches, which commonly fall during Storms. Clearing branches is a wonderful thing as long as it is not your tree being trimmed!

Having a generator for short-term power loss is becoming, if not already is a requirement is most areas. A large Storm can cause enough loss of Power across a wide enough area to have your home without power up to 10 days! During the Summer in the Great White North, one needs only enough generating capacity to operate a Refrigerator and a few lights! In the Winter, that demand changes 'greatly' as operating the heating system become very important!

Having enough fuel can quickly become a real problem! If your area is prone to the effects of these Storms, consider a system that is hardwired and piped into your homes system. This system in its fully developed form would connect into your Natural Gas, LP or Fuel Oil System and have an auto-switch system that disconnects the incoming electrical supply, starts the generator and take-over the electrical requirements of your home.

Portable Generators 'require' knowledge of their safe operation, connection and support fuel system - commonly gasoline! NEVER operate a generator indoors!

Summer storms in the Great White North requirements are mainly limited to safety during the storm and limited support services after the Storm depending on whether you are located in a populated area or out in the sticks! If you are out in the sticks during a serious Winter Storm, you need to have the ability to self-support fully for up to 10 days or more!

Be safe!!!

OutlawedSpirit said:

I would also make sure you include a couple gallons of fresh drinking water and enough room temp stable food for the fids (and yourself) for at least a couple days. Evacuations can lead to traffic jams and other unforseen events that would not occur with normal traveling. If you were to get delayed on the road and need to stay in a motel or something overnight, it would do you well to be prepared ahead of time.

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I just got back from the store with more water. I store water but got extra and we will take it. I do not have a travel cage for Buzz my CAG but I resolved that issue, I just bought a new wire crate for my Pug Lola. She can be on a leash, Buzz can be in a mansion using her new crate, lol! I'm currently decorating it for him with perches, toys, bowls, he's set, all my fids are set.

Now, Venus laid an egg. I'm wondering if I should take it with us or whether she will accept a dummy egg, I have two but they are the size of chicken eggs. Haven't found any info yet, still looking.





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Taw5106 said:

. I take the fids, Husband takes the dogs, lol.

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Who takes the mother-in-law? [emoji23]


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Inger said:

Taw5106 said:

. I take the fids, Husband takes the dogs, lol.

Click to expand...

Who takes the mother-in-law? [emoji23]


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ROTFL!!!! Did you have to point that out???? She most likely won't ride with me since I have animals, she doesn't like animals. So if Husband gets her, my animals and I will be enjoying music and singing all the way on the trip, lol!


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Travel / Evacuation with your Parrot

We are well in to the Summer of 2017 in North America and as a result Spring and Summer Storms have already caused damage, flooding, forced evacuation, and loss of life. In addition, Summer Vacations are common discussions. Mixed within all of this is the most common time of year, Summer and early Fall, for individuals and families to relocate.

So what! This is a Parrot Forum and clearly this subject has little or nothing to do with 'General Parrot Information!' Or, does it? Whether travel for pleasure, relocation or forced evacuation - what is needed in advance, during travel and after arrival has a great affect on not only us, but heavily on our Parrots. After all, not all Parrots like to travel, in fact most do not.

The early days of Fall 2015 had both the Canadian and United States Governments ready to 100% shutdown transport of ALL Birds, regardless of classification. The Good News: Avian Flu did not reappear from the Over-Summer Zones in the far North. Point being, the plan was ready to be put in place!

Knowing and being prepared is important and even more so depending on where you live. In some Zones simply having things near each other maybe good enough. Other areas may require that a prepackaged 'Go Bag' ready at a minutes notice, Example: Areas that are prone to rapidly moving Wild Fires, etc...

Domestic Health Certificates: Both Canadians and Americans freely travel around their respected Countries with little to no consideration regarding their Pets traveling with them. However, things change when they cross between the two Countries. Knowing what is need before hand is very important to assure a smooth crossing. Lesser known by the traveling public is that different States have different requirements and limitations as to what can be brought into their respected State. So, it becomes very important to know what those restrictions are, in some cases four to six months in advance. So, if you are traveling with in the USA, visit the American Veterinary Medical Association's Web Site targeting: Animal Travel and Transport, Pet Birds. This site will also provide additional sites for information regarding specific States and the US Government. Some travel may require testing several months prior to and repeated just prior to travel to obtain a Domestic Health Certificates.

The vast majority of these requirements commonly do not involve Pet Parrots. However, there are States that will not allow certain species to enter! In addition; State, Regional or National over-sight may quickly set restrictions into place. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO!

Evacuations: If you have pets (any pets) and a Local, State, or National Evacuation is declared: LEAVE EARLY! The earlier you leave, the greater the likelihood of finding shelter that will accept your pet(s) will be! Once the roads become flooded with the general public the more problems you will be faced with - up to and including being forced to leave your pet(s) behind! Once the General Emergency is declared, the rights of your pets and you taking them with you ends, regardless of what you may have read. At that point, they are moving the greatest number of Humans.


Know before you go!

Be prepared to leave your home with in one hour, minimum!

Leave early!

Taw5106 said:

Inger said:

Taw5106 said:

. I take the fids, Husband takes the dogs, lol.

Click to expand...

Who takes the mother-in-law? [emoji23]


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Click to expand...

ROTFL!!!! Did you have to point that out???? She most likely won't ride with me since I have animals, she doesn't like animals. So if Husband gets her, my animals and I will be enjoying music and singing all the way on the trip, lol!


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Click to expand...

At least she hasn't got her own crate!

Stay safe.

plumsmum2005 said:

Taw5106 said:

Inger said:

Who takes the mother-in-law? [emoji23]


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Click to expand...

ROTFL!!!! Did you have to point that out???? She most likely won't ride with me since I have animals, she doesn't like animals. So if Husband gets her, my animals and I will be enjoying music and singing all the way on the trip, lol!


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Click to expand...

At least she hasn't got her own crate!

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LMAOOOOOOO!!!!!! I needed such a good laugh! TY TY TY!!!!!


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I currently live in Philly, but I used to live down the shore in NJ, on an island no less, which was very flood prone. I didn't have birds at the time but we always had a cat, so we did have to be prepared for the worst, though I never had to evacuate.

We frequently sandbagged doors and such to prevent any water from getting in, and it was as simple as filling shopping bags with sand and piling them up. We didn't have a ton of prep in regards to power loss, though we always hand plenty of canned food anyway, and a few good freezers, plus being avid fishers and having a garden, we did have quite a bit of fresh food available.

During Hurricane Sandy I lived up here in Philly, so I wasn't very concerned about flooding but I did lose power for about three days. Thankfully I had a gas stove that still worked, so I could still cook and have hot water that was provided by the boiler in my apartment building.

I wish I had more precautions in place, such as backup batteries for my phone (portable chargers) and a few extra flashlights and lantern style flash lights in addition to regular, plain, unscented candles. I had two birds at the time and had carriers for both, as well as plenty of food, and a big backpack if I did need to leave. It was fairly cold so I used some hot water bottles around the cages, with blankets, to provide some ambient heat at night as well as snuggles. I also wish I had a wall clock or watch because I quickly lost track of time without my phone or microwave for the time!

My bigger concern was actually my fish tank, without power there was no filter or heater going, and while I wasn't too worried about the temperature, keeping the water aerated was, so I had peroxide on hand in an emergency, but I looked up how to keep the water more aerated and it was mostly by taking cups of the water and pouring them slowly from higher up, back into the tank, to help agitate it. Now I have a small battery powered filter as well as pump should I ever need it when I restart my tank, and I also have a backup battery (meant for a computer or router, or home phone) for my fish tank just in case. I have one for my computer as well that's more heavy duty, but also useful to charge my phone should I need to.

I also have a notebook with details about all my current birds, including names, diets, food preferences, personalities and who can be handled safely, as well as emergency numbers for my vet, two additional exotic vets in the area, and two emergency vet hospitals. I have a large supply of ziploc bags for food, toys, and whatever else I might need, and cases of bottled water, usually about three at any given time. I always keep a little cash on hand, as well as my ID's, and checkbook in my purse.

My biggest concern right now isn't so much for flooding but actually fires, living in a row home, and I do have concerns about being able to evacuate quickly enough should anything happen.

Take care Taw5106! I hope to be a mother-in-law some day. I would gladly help with all the animals though.

One of the eventualities I can't find a work-through for is what if we lose power in the winter. How do you keep a bird warm? It's only ever happened to us once and only for 1 hour. I honestly can't think of a solution for this one. The dogs are fine under the covers. Would you put a bird in it's travel cage and cover it?

So it was the Parrot that laid the egg, not the mother-in-law?????

Taw5106 said:

Inger said:

Taw5106 said:

. I take the fids, Husband takes the dogs, lol.

Click to expand...

Who takes the mother-in-law? [emoji23]


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Click to expand...

ROTFL!!!! Did you have to point that out???? She most likely won't ride with me since I have animals, she doesn't like animals. So if Husband gets her, my animals and I will be enjoying music and singing all the way on the trip, lol!


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Click to expand...

Nah, MIL gets her own dedicated transport:

Seems you've planned well, just keep an open mind for the unexpected! Be able to leave early, perhaps if you learn a mandatory evac is pending. Have alternate routes available and keep the gas tank filled. Good idea to make sure the vehicle has good tires (maybe a bit too late if needed) properly inflated. Cell phone charger or wiring if vehicle has built-in port. Snacks for you along the way.

Hope all of this will not be necessary, but if needed, be safe and keep loved ones updated with your plans.

Katu said:

Take care Taw5106! I hope to be a mother-in-law some day. I would gladly help with all the animals though.

One of the eventualities I can't find a work-through for is what if we lose power in the winter. How do you keep a bird warm? It's only ever happened to us once and only for 1 hour. I honestly can't think of a solution for this one. The dogs are fine under the covers. Would you put a bird in it's travel cage and cover it?

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That's a good question. We stayed with family once, in a room that had no heating and the temps outside were below freezing overnight. Not long lasting but we had all three dogs under the covers with us. One of my fids will snuggle so I can see her snuggling with me to stay warm but not the other two.


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Some modelling Thurs morning suggests Harvey will likely impact the AUS and SAT area, passing somewhat west of Houston. Of course the overhang of severe weather will occur well to the east and west.

Scott said:

Some modelling Thurs morning suggests Harvey will likely impact the AUS and SAT area, passing somewhat west of Houston. Of course the overhang of severe weather will occur well to the east and west.

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I just got off the phone with Husband and we were talking about that model. We are holding evacuating because that's where we were heading. I love living here but hate these storms but it's the price to pay to live here.

I did go to the store earlier and got water and some sandwich stuff. We have everything else, lights, batteries etc. That's not the full list but I think we are set. Now if this storm will make up its mind where it's going to land...


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Was watching another modeling group and they had the storm slowing, gaining strength and putting down heavy mounts of rain over extended period of time. The paths seem to be near overlap to what you are looking at. The inshore issues are likely the much increased rain and the affects of wind over longer periods of time.

They are stating that this Storm should not be taken lightly! Slow moving Storms are serious business!

Our Prays are with You!

FYI: I believe that you are headed toward Austin and if this storm gets fully caught between those to High Pressure Zones, it could set for days! Whatever your plans, assure that they include 'High Ground'. Flooding caused by extended periods of rain appears to be a very serious issue!

If you evacuate I suggest gas cans with gas just in case. I would leave Houston.

This might be one of the funniest threads I've seen on here! Thanks to everyone that posted!