[liamsmom]

we had an awfully scary experience due to the fires that were in our area the last two days. the fires were tremendous and the smoke was incredibly thick. hot ash was landing on our house. people were hosing down their property and homes. there were mandatory evacuations. yesterday. there were school buses driving up and down on our street with evacuees....and they were stopping at the curbs to take even more voluntary evacuees to the local shelters. there were more fire, police and other types of emergency vehicles than i've ever seen in my entire life. on our street and above our house.....there were from all different towns from surrounding areas as well as far away towns. there were numerous helicopters dropping water...planes spraying water...more planes and helicopters surveying the area. there news crews both on the ground and in the air. it was unbelievable!! we honestly felt that we were in a movie that wouldn't end. the entire ordeal made us realize how important it is to have evacuation plan. since we have three dogs, a cat and a parrot....being organized is key. we had all the dog's crates in our JEEP. the cat's carrier and the parrot's temporary cage were by the door ready all ready to go. all pet foods were packed...enough for a few days. we also had both of our vehicles packed with enough clothes and basic neccessites for a few days plus all of our important papers, etc. we were all ready to leave on a moment's notice.
i cannot stress enough how important it is to have an evacuation plan in place for yourself, your family and your pets. many temporary shelters do not accepts pets. become familiar with your township's evacuation procedures. make arrangements ahead of time so that you know which direction to head in if you are ever evacuated. our plans do not include going to shelters because we are always afraid that our pets will not be allowed. we feel that even if pets are allowed in a minor disaster....the pets will be the first to go if they need more space for humans. where will you meet up if you and other family members are ever separated? what if cell phone service is down? also, keep in mind that if you are evacuated...be sure you take your pets with you when you leave THE FIRST TIME. lots of times officials may say that you can come back for them....but what if you aren't able to get back in to pick them up? if you leave during a voluntary evacuation and then the evacuation becomes mandatory...YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED BACK IN UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. even if it is to get your pets. also, if you are evacuated be sure you go far enough away so that you will not be evacuated a second time. in our case this time...we could move away from the fire and smoke by just driving a few short miles. however, if we are ever evacuated due to weather (hurricaine, flooding, etc) our plan is entirely different.
i just wanted to share this info with everyone because IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU. wierd freaks of nature do happen. fire and flood can't be stopped when it's coming fast. don't think IT CAN'T HAPPEN TO ME. because it can. being prepared left us feeling like we were READY. yes, we were worried about our home but we knew we were ready to go if we had to. we weren't in a panic gathering things. we were calm, organized and in as much control of the situation as we could be.
please please please.....plan for evacuations. they happen FAST. in our area the people that were under mandatory evacuation were give 5 MINUTES to evacuate. that isn't really enough time to grab a toothbrush and find a bar of soap to bring with you.
keep in mind....there are no medals of honor awarded to those who choose to stay in an evacuated area. if you are told to evacuate.....do it. don't stay and hope for the best. just go. your life....the lives of your family and your pets are not replacable and evacuating will keep you all safe.