Wow, tornadoes everywhere.

[Doris48]

We had our sirens go off last night and it freaked out Paco(he wouldnt let me touch him and he was shaking).So here the sirens are going off and I had to spend 20 minutes getting him in his cage.
I dont even have a carrier for the birds, much less the dogs and cats(I do have two crates).I often wonder what I would do if a tornado really did hit.We generally ignore the sirens and listen to the scanner and decide if we want to take action.Fortunately the spinning clouds stopped but unfortunately the storm moved on and a tornado hit the town a little over an hour away(Harveyville).

I hope this isnt any indication of what the spring storms are going to be like.

Do you have an emergency plan for your animals?

 

[roxynoodle]

Tornadoes are definitely a hard one to deal with. The first one that hit me came out of nowhere. There were no storms, no watches or anything. By the time I heard it there was nothing I could do. I didn't even make it to the basement myself. I watched it move across my property and straight to the barn. It took the entire back half off, but my animals were all in the front half and were, miraculously, unharmed.

I didn't much more warning either with the second one. And the first thing it did was uproot a tree and toss it on the power lines so down went the TV coverage.

I'm not sure you could even have enough time to get your birds in carriers most of the time with tornadoes. Unless they are very large and on the ground a long time, by the time you know you have a problem, you may be lucky to save yourself and human family.

I do have carriers for all the birds and cat.

 

[Mayden]

We're in the UK, so don't have half of the crazy stuff you US' people have. But I have emergency evacuation plans for all my 'babies' in the event of a flood or fire. It's not the best and I'll admit I'm not the most prepared (I often lay awake at night panicking about what I'd do )

If I was living in a high risk area you could almost gaurentee that I'd have everything set up, first aid kit, water/food bagged and ready to be grabbed and gone for the animals.

So so scary. Hope everyone stays safe come this tornado season.

 

[MikeyTN]

Unfortunately we can only save the dogs and the cats during a tornado storm. And stick Malachi in my shirt since he likes being inside of shirts. The rest of the birds just won't work with the dogs and cats. So it freaks me out everytime siren goes off....we have discussed once these dogs pass we would only do two small dogs that way I can save the birds as well...

 

[roxynoodle]

As for a fire, my plan is push all the cages out the door as fast as possible! I do have them in my front room, where the front door is. And all they all fit. It was actually one of my criteria for choosing cages. I can worry after they are out of the house about getting them in carriers or pushing the cages across the street to my nearest neighbor. The cat lived outdoors for 3 years. She knows where the house is, and I'm sure she would probably stick like glue to me anyway. But, if she got very frightened and ran, she knows her way around out there, thankfully. She'd come back.

I keep the carriers in here as well.

And yes, I have found myself sitting down in the "dungeon" with my birds, cat, dogs, and rechargeable lantern during times we knew there were tornadoes in the area. There isn't much you can do for livestock during one except pray. You just hope the barn doesn't come down. Turning them loose leaves them at high risk for being hit with flying debris. And trust me, it can be flying around for hours afterwards if there are high winds. Also my neighbor's fence came down during one and their horses started running all over creation. They weren't home either, so another neighbor came to get me to catch them and get them all back. Thankfully I got them all because I wasn't 100% certain right then how many they had. I counted them all and said, I think I got them all!

 

[JensFlock]

I live in a place where there are some nasty hurricanes.
Since I've lived here, i haven't had to evacuate, but I'm ready.
I have a small truck, so not much room in the cab, so all 3 birds are going in the same carrier, and the dog gets folded up (greyhound, they fold up nicely) and sat in the passenger seat. I don't have to worry about food, because I'll be going to a friend's house that has birds and dogs.
When it gets close to hurricane season, I keep all my important paperwork that has to go with me in a bag, and other valuables that I can't take get stuffed in the closet and bathroom to they won't get wet if the windows explode.
My friend has a key to my apt in case a storm hits and I'm at work. She can get the animals safe in her house and I just have to get myself there.

 

[Spiritbird]

We all should have emergency packs made up and a bird carrier. Tornados come so fast it must reallly freak out the birds. Here in Md. last year we had a 5.5 earthquake. This is so rare for this area. I was not home but it just shook the pic. on the walls. I live in an apt. and have made up a sign on the front door to rescue animals. Of course in a tornado is this sign is outside it would blow away.

http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-housing/bird-safety-tips/bird-disaster-kit.aspx

 

[Doris48]

Fire is another scary one isnt it.These old farmhouses can go up in seconds.I would feel so bad for caged animals.Last winter a nearby house burned to the ground because the water flow on the fire truck kept freezing up.

roxy we've been lucky enough to have never actually seen a tornadur house is almost a 100 yrs old so I figure its still standing so tornados must not hit here much.We are actually in a little valley so I think that helps some here.

 

[roxynoodle]

We seem to get more here than the rest of Ohio, I think because it's so flat. I know this house has seen at least 3, 2 while I've owned it. All 3 hit that big barn though! It's now demolished after my tornado #2. The worst that happened to the house is the kitchen got moved a couple of inches off the foundation, which was then leaning. It started falling out from under the house and I had to have that whole crawl space dug out and replaced.

Yes, I have actually seen a tornado from the inside! I hope to never see that again!

Right after I got off here last night, the tornado watch box lit up for me as well. Night tornadoes are the worst. You have to watch for them when lightening strikes. 1.5 years ago some hit after midnight and killed a few people just north of me. They also destroyed the police station so people couldn't even call them for help.

 

[antoinette]

I feel for you people, tornadoes are devastating
Hopefully I never ever witness one
Be safe