Northern Virginia may see rain and wind from Hurricane Florence this week, but this isn’t the only hurricane the Eastern Seaboard will see this season. Hurricanes Isaac and Helene have already formed in Florence’s wake in the Atlantic Ocean.
Most people consider pets a member of their family, and preparing for an emergency should include plans for all family members — even those on four legs.
Here’s advice from the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA), the Red Cross and Ready.gov on disaster preparedness for pets.
Identification. Make sure the tags on your pet’s collar and the information attached to their microchip is fully updated. Collars can fall off or come off, so a microchip is always a great backup and something a veterinarian can put in your pet easily.
Leash, Food, Water, Medicine. When you pack your “go” bag, be sure you have one packed for your pets, as well. It should include a leash, harness or their carrier, a pet floatation device in the event of flooding, a few meals, fresh water and medications.
Shelter. Several emergency shelters do welcome pets — a practice that started after Hurricane Katrina left too many pets homeless. Check with the emergency local shelters in your area for pet rules, keeping in mind that rules and locations may change from one storm to the next. If you’re leaving the area and going to a hotel, check hotels.petswelcome.com/chains and the hotel’s website for pet policies. Several hotels here in Alexandria welcome pets!
Additional Tips for Humans
Sandbags
Fairfax County is providing sandbags to residents. In our area, sandbags will be available at the Mount Vernon RECenter starting upper level parking garage on Wednesday, Sept. 12. Hours are as follows: Wednesday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Thursday 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Friday 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Residents will be able to get 10 to 12 sandbags each and staff will be on hand to help fill sandbags (as conditions allow).
Alexandria provided sandbags to residents on Tuesday, Sept. 11 and may do so again later this week. Follow the City of Alexandria's Twitter account @alexandriavagov and be sure you're signed up for the City's eNews alerts.
Emergency Supplies and Tips
For a list of suggested emergency supplies for the humans in your family, visit the Virginia Department of Emergency Management Ready Virginia page.
- Save important phone numbers to your phone or write them down. These should include the phone numbers of doctors, pharmacies, utility companies, relatives and neighbors.
- Make sure you have a battery-powered radio and plenty of batteries to power it.
- Purchase 3 to 5 days of non-perishable food and a can opener.
- Pick up extra batteries and flashlight bulbs for your flashlights.
- Pick up several gallons of bottled water, or fill water bottles in your home to ensure a several-day supply of water for all family members
- Pick up an external power pack or power bank for your cell phone. (However, during some storms that cell phone tower outages may happen.)
- Dominion Virginia Power outages and downed wires: Call 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) to report power outages, even if you think your neighbor has already done so. Dominion has an interactive power outage map you can check out, too.
- For information on residential power generators and safe operation, click here.
