Hurricane Pet Preparedness

As hurricane season is in full effect, it's important to remember these important pet safety tips if you and your family are being impacted by a hurricane and/or tropical storm. 

Have A Pet Evacuation Plan

It’s natural to be hesitant to evacuate your home, but when you have pets it’s wise to evacuate early.

In order to properly prepare for an evacuation, you need to know which types of disasters you’re likely to face. Flooding, high winds, and tornados are all things to prepare for if a hurricane and/or tropical storm are heading your way.

Make a list of the potential threats that could call for an evacuation. This will help you determine where to seek shelter as you evacuate. Once you know the threats, research the recommended evacuation routes for your local community. If your city is being evacuated for a hurricane, knowing the correct and safest evacuation route near your home can help you leave quickly and safely. 

Put Together An Emergency Kit

A pet first-aid emergency kit should contain all of the essential items that your pet will need in the event of an evacuation. Following are some suggestions of what to include:

• Food for 2 or 3 days
• Water for 2 or 3 days
• Any essential medications
• Collar and leash
• A carrier (if your pet needs one)
• Litter or poop bags
• A list of pet-friendly accommodations
• List of emergency contact numbers and addresses
• Copies of your pet’s medical records

If you and your pet need to evacuate in a hurry, or even switch locations to avoid tornadoes, this emergency kit will come in handy. You won’t have to think about anything other than finding a safe place to shelter.

Make sure you replace the perishable items (food and medications) in your emergency kit every so often. The last thing you need is for your pet to suffer from food poisoning during an evacuation.

Make Sure Your Pet Is Identifiable

There’s always a chance that you will become separated from your pet during an evacuation, so it’s important to make sure he can be identified as yours.
Check to ensure that your pet’s microchip and tags are updated with your best contact information every few months.

Make sure your pet wears proper identification tags on their collars. Even just wearing a collar will help strangers recognize that your pet has an owner who is looking for him.

Identification tags and microchips with your updated phone number will help your pet find his way back to you more easily if you become separated.

Be Prepared

At MetLife Pet Insurance¹, we get it… Pets are like family. Taking the right precautions to ensure your dogs and cats are safe come hurricane season can ultimately be well worth it.