Prepare, Prepare, Prepare, and Practice.
How long would it take you and your family to escape

from your home if damaged in an earthquake, or

threatened by a wild fire or flood?

Now, how long would it take for you to

evacuate your family and your Bird(s) or pet(s)?

If you take the time now, to try it a few times

and time yourself and your family getting out

to safe ground, then time it another time to see

how long it takes with your birds or pets, you will have a reasonable

idea of what to expect when you should ever really need to

evacuate in a hurry.

This is not a pie-in-the-sky idea, timing it is a valuable use

of effort and time, knowing how long it takes you when you

are fully awake and not upset, to evacuate your family and

birds, could make the difference to your success or lack

of it in the real event when disaster happens.

Get a few items together and you can start your Earthquake Prep Plan today.

___ Ballpoint Pen            ___ Rubbermaid type rolling garbage can& lid

___ Bulldog binder clips  ___SwissArmyKnife or Leatherman Tool

___ Checklists                 ___Waterproof Duct Tape

___ Notebook                  ___ Waterproof Tarps & Cord or Rope

___ Stopwatch or timer

Other helpful items when starting out:  Patience &  A Sense of Humor.

Do a monthly evacuation practice, and write down your

start to finish “times” in a notebook you will keep in your

Earthquake Kit. Someday you will thank yourself for all the

effort you put into this practice.

Evacuation Priorities
It is not surprising that many people with pets would not

hesitate to put their own lives at risk to save their family

pet in an emergency “disaster” situation.  More danger comes

into play if they have not prepared and practiced for a disaster. 

The responsibility is on you to have your act together

at the critical moment, Emergency Responders are not obligated

to help you evacuate your pet and often will not—their mandate

is always first and foremost to save human lives.

Sample Cage Racks and Rolling Carts

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are your cages or cage racks on wheels and ready to move?

Target, Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, and Storables all carry chrome rack shelving with wheels available. Storables carries the widest selection of various sizes and combinations to fit your cages.

If you have a single or a pair of small birds, cage (s) small enough to carry in hand?

  

 

 

 

 

Outdoor Shelter

 

Do you have weatherproof shelter from the elements for the cages once they are out of direct danger from falling materials or glass breaking?

If you are selecting a new tent, popup or screen-room type tent, make sure it is tall enough to accommodate the cage(s) rolling rack(s). We have found that Coleman has the best selection of 72” or taller tents. Popup canopies can provide limited shelter, some have available zip or clipon “sidewalls”.  

Another option is the weatherproof popup greenhouse, you can put it up in about 3 minutes, available at local Orchard Supply Hardware stores, and Sears, or online from Greenhousecatalog and other vendors

In an emergency, no outdoor shelter is going to be ideal, but some protection from the weather is better than none.

 

If you cannot provide this type of shelter for your birds, even a large 48” wide roll of clear bubblewrap is an inexpensive option to wrap their cage in, providing slits on   one side for adequate air circulation. As a temporary shelter only.  

Use bulldog binder clips to clip the bubblewrap to your cages for easy on and off adjustments. Pre-measuring and pre-cutting sections of bubblewrap for your cages can save time, roll up and store your cut bubblewrap sheets and clips and the roll of duct tape in the rolling Rubbermaid garbage can with lid with other bird supplies for evacuation.