Something else I hadn't thought of was how many disasters could occur here in Tulsa, Oklahoma, specifically within a mile of our house. We've all thought about tornadoes and floods. What about chemical spills on the highway, railroad tracks or in nearby industrial areas? What about grass fires or airplane crashes? What about bomb threats, riots or escaped prisoners? Lots to consider! One rule of thumb Deborah strongly emphasized was: if you have to evacuate your home for any reason, be prepared to take your animals with you. Do this even if the authorities have said to leave them behind because the situation should be resolved quickly or that you'll be allowed to come back to get them later.
It's impossible to be prepared for every scenario, but in our case, Dave and I judged our three biggest threats to be tornadoes, rail/expressway hazards, and our own lack of preparedness.
The first thing we did was to buy a large (60-gallon) plastic storage bin with a clamshell lid that can be padlocked if needed. It may sound a bit large, but we had to take into account supplies for two 80-lb+ Greyhounds plus a smallish mutt and two cats. Two smaller containers may have been better. You'll have to judge what will work best for you. We filled the bottom half with dog blankets, leashes, paper bowls, plastic utensils, garbage bags, screw-top insulated cups, a first aid kit, paper towels, a big jug of scoopable litter with scoop and other supplies that don't spoil. The top half holds: a 40-lb bag of dog food, a 10-lb bag of cat food and bottled water (in a flat container), which will need to be restocked to maintain freshness. The bin is kept in the garage by the back door. On top of it we have our small cat crates complete with bedding and clip-on food/water bowls. Our tent and a smaller bin with some camping supplies are also within reach if time and the situation warrant. Barring injuries or the house and cars being terribly damaged, we can load the supplies, load the animals and get out in about 15 minutes.
