Caring for Pets in a West Palm Beach Hurricane

9/19/2022 (Permalink)

With hurricane season midway through we all are watching forecasts with the hope that West Palm Beach will be spared from any storm’s impact. When preparing for a disaster, pets can often be left with inadequate care or no plan at all. Here are some considerations for your animal friends that can assist with natural disasters and other emergencies.

1. Find a safe location for them to stay

Coastal cities such as our home of West Palm Beach can be threatened by storm surge, flood waters and hurricane winds. If a neighborhood could experience storm damage effects, it is important to find a safe place for your pets to stay. For a list of boarding facilities, hotels and pet motels in the area that could take in your pet in an emergency, visit the Palm Beach County website.

2. Arranging a caregiver in the case of travel and boarding limitations

If evacuation becomes necessary prior to a storm event, it is wise to choose to board eligible pets in a local boarding facility or shelter. However, if you find that there is limited availability for boarding or evacuating your pet, identifying a person who may have a safe location for them to stay could be a good solution. Do you have someone in your network or just outside of the West Palm Beach area that may be able to care for animals if your home has experienced storm damage or fire damage?

3. Create an animal emergency supply kit

It is a good idea to assemble an emergency kit that is specific to the humans in your household and a separate one for any pets. This is because it can be easy to underestimate the essentials, medical items, and comforts that would be needed to help your pet through an emergency evacuation or to get through a short-term stay at a boarding facility. A well-rounded pet preparedness kit could include medications, food, drinking water, a can opener, a first aid kit, photos of your pet (in the event they are lost), feeding and medication schedules, and a copy of your veterinarian’s contact information.

Storm damage affects not only the home and residents but also domesticated and wild animals in an area. Taking inventory of what you can control will provide your family with more confidence and capability to respond during times of disaster. If you do experience storm damage or water damage this hurricane season, be sure to call the experts at SERVPRO of West Palm Beach to help. Check out the SERVPRO of West Palm Beach blog for more pet preparedness tools.