Be #PetPrepared Create A Disaster Preparedness Plan

Disasters can strike at any time and often with little warning. It is very important to be prepared and know how to survive a natural disaster. Create a disaster preparedness plan for your family and pets.
Disasters can strike at any time, Be Pet Prepared!

This post is sponsored by Hill’s Food, Shelter, & Love® Initiative and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping Promote National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day, but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.

Our first unexpected natural disaster happened on July 2011. A wet microburst hit our suburban neighborhood and uprooted trees, knocking down miles of power lines. No major damage to our property and we managed to live without water and electricity for 4 1/2 days. I never knew a microburst, one of nature’s most dangerous wind storms, can touch down in our neighborhood. From this experience, I learned a disaster preparedness plan is a must wherever you live.

We Can’t Stop Disasters, But We Can Be Prepared.

Now that we moved to California, I need to create a new disaster preparedness plan. California is no stranger to natural disasters and known as one of the most disaster-prone States. I have to be prepared for all the types of natural disasters that could happen. Two of the most common natural disasters in California are earthquakes and fires. Earthquakes are also known to create a tsunami and mudslides.

Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love

Hill’s Pet Nutrition established Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love^® program to help animal shelters. The program has provided over $280 million worth of food to nearly 1,000 shelters and helping over 8 million pets to find their forever homes. In 2013, Hill’s Pet Nutrition established a Disaster Relief Network through the Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love program. The Hills Disaster Relief Network is a one of a kind program and positioned to quickly respond with shipments of pet food to communities impacted by a disaster.

In the last three years, Hills Disaster Relief Network delivered pet food to different shelters and vets, plus responded to 25 natural disasters – floods in Colorado, fires in Idaho and Arizona, mudslides in Washington state and tornadoes in the central and southern regions.

Be Pet Prepared! Create A Disaster Preparedness Plan

In honor of FEMA’s (Federal Emergency Management Agency) National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day on May 14, 2016, Hill’s Pet Nutrition is encouraging all pet parents to be ‘Pet Prepared‘. Hills recommended these pet safety tips during an emergency.

7 Safety Tips To Ensure Your Pet’s Safety in an Emergency

1. Make sure that your pet has an identification, collar id or microchip with current information.

2. Prepare a “Pet Emergency Go-Kit” which includes pet supplies, pet first aid supplies and pet’s information. During an emergency, It is advisable to have enough pet food for a week or two weeks.

3. Display a Pet Alert Decal on your door or window. This decal alerts rescuers in case of any emergency that you have a pet inside your home that needs to be rescued.

4. To help evacuate faster, know where your pet likes to hide in your house when they are frightened.

5. Some disaster relief areas may not be open for pets. Scout other options like pet-friendly hotels or ask relatives and friends.

6. Carry a picture of your pet in the event of separation.

7. If an evacuate is needed, transport your pet safely by using a pet carrier or crate.

Below is an infographic “Can You Take Care of Your Pet in an Emergency” which includes a checklist of what to include in your Pet Emergency Go-Kit.

Use this link, Hills Infographic Pet Disaster Preparedness, to print it out.

To learn more about a disaster preparedness plan visit Hill’s Pet Prepared. Be informed about Hills Pet Nutrition on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Have you experienced a natural disaster with your pet?
Are you prepared in case of a natural disaster?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hill’s® Pet Nutrition, Inc. The opinions and text are all mine.