Animal Welfare
Kimball Lewis
Horses
Disaster Preparedness

Disaster Preparedness and Your Animals

Remembering the Flood(s) of 1996

Daniel Judd was the last person I expected to become so closely involved with upon my relocation to Oregon. In fact, Daniel Judd is not the sort of person anyone hopes to become too closely involved with -- not that he isn't a good guy because as an individual, he's a great guy! No, its nothing personal, its simply that in his capacity as Director of Disaster Services at the Red Cross, if your hanging out with Daniel it usually means there's a disaster somewhere close by. In 1996, I got to spend more time with Daniel then I would have ever guess.

My arrival in Eugene was at the behest of an organization known as the Greenhill Humane Society. The board had contacted me and asked me if I would consider the position. I had left animal welfare for good the year previous. It had become too political and in general, it was a volatile atmosphere that meant ulcers and sleepless nights. Indeed, being the director of an animal protection organization has an average life span of three to four years and for good reason. But I accepted the job in Eugene and pulled in to town on February 2, 1996. Tom Fincel, an area veterinarian and his wife Karen met my convoy as I pulled in to town. My dog, my horse, and a truckload of household items. It was 16 degrees and the sky was clear. The weather made me feel right at home but Dr. Fincel interrupted that idea and told me that this was very unusual weather for Eugene. He went on to say that normally it would be overcast, damp and raining. Still, I was pleased to see the sky awash in a blanket of stars and the Coburg Hills glistening white with a healthy snow pack. I was new here and had no way of knowing that none of this was typical. Tom and Karen escorted me to a friend's house near Coburg where they had arranged for me to board my horse and store my trailer.

During that weekend I unpacked personal items and tried to find my way around town. As a testament to my navigational abilities, I got lost going to the video store and drove around the U of O area, then into Springfield, then Coburg Road, and then the Beltline and so on for nearly an hour and a half. I felt pretty stupid when a police officer that noticed me driving around the neighborhood for some time finally pulled me over. "Officer", I explained, "I can't find my way home." Needless to say that drew a puzzled look from the officer until I explained that I had just moved here and was flying blind. To my amazement, he actually drove to my house and let me follow him!

That Monday I went in to the office and met the staff. Teresa Warrick, the Operations Director, must have been tipped off to my love of horses. There was a horseshoe placed on my desk.

The clear nights and sunny days that greeted me on Saturday had given way to torrents of rain on Sunday. By Tuesday the rain was still pounding my roof at home and I was driving through deep water when I pulled into my driveway. I have always been an amateur weather buff and so I logged on my computer and pulled up a satellite image of the Pacific Northwest. There it was as plain as day; A low pressure system combined with a jet stream both pointing at Oregon, ushering in a large amount of moisture in a line straight from Hawaii. This is known as a "pineapple express" in weather terms. The following morning I arrived at work early and assembled the management team. I give each of these individuals credit because they sat and listened intently as I explained my concerns for potential flooding. I expressed the same concerns to Judi Noel. All of these people explained that it rains a lot in Eugene and that having just moved here from a much drier climate, I shouldn't become too concerned. None the less, I took a disaster plan from another state and reshaped it to work in the Willamette Valley. I asked my staff for a phone list with all of their numbers and asked them to keep alert during the next couple of days.

Enter Daniel Judd

That evening I was still in my office at 10:00 PM working on the flood plan and the rain was coming down harder then ever. Earlier in the evening I had driven out to see Cheyenne, my seven-year-old horse. I was alarmed to find that as I drove north of Eugene into the countryside near the Coburg Hills, the water was rushing across the road where I could no longer continue safely. I was now isolated from my horse unless I hiked in on foot the rest of the way!

So I picked up the phone and dialed the number for the American Red Cross, Disaster Services. My intent was to listen to their recording and see what time they were open or if there was a pager number for the person on call. I was surprised when a real person answered the phone. It was Daniel Judd. I asked if he knew of any flooding and in a very professional manner he related to me that things seemed OK for the time being. The fact that he was in his office at 10:00 PM told me a great deal more.

I went home and went to bed but sleep did not come easy. There was an ominous feeling hanging in the air as tangible as a cloud of smoke. I awoke the next morning at 5:00 AM and turned on the TV to the Weather Channel. The loud repeated beeping caught my attention and I saw the red banner flashing across the screen. It read, "FLOOD WARNING FOR LANE COUNTY NOW IN EFFECT- STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS- FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT."




I could fill pages with all the stories of individual heroism by my Humane Society staff, Lane County Search and Rescue people, the media, the Sheriff's Office and so on. (You can read all of that in an upcoming book.) In the meantime, to give you the Readers Digest version: We spent the next three days rescuing animals and to my knowledge, we did not lose one. We slept on the floor of the office except for a few chairs placed together and a cot brought over by a Eugene Police Detective. Most of the animals we rescued were not dogs or cats as you might expect. In fact, 95% of all animals we rescued in the field were livestock animals and in particular, horses. In a couple of paragraphs, I'll explain in greater detail why this was and how you can prepare.

Again, in November of that same year we were faced with another flood. I was in Phoenix speaking at a conference. As I was resting in my hotel in Tempe I happened to log on to my computer and look at the weather for the Pacific Northwest. There it was again! I couldn't believe it. All of the conditions were favorable if not excellent, for another flood. I picked up the phone and dialed my now old friend, Daniel Judd. Daniel picked up the phone and was surprised to learn that I was calling him from Phoenix. I explained that I had reason to believe we would be hit with another flood sometime during the following day. There was a long pause on the phone. Then, I heard a chuckle. Daniel inquired if I was serious and I said I was. "How can you be calling me from Phoenix telling me there is going to be a flood?" was his next question. "Well", I replied, "it's a strong feeling." Daniel became more somber and promised to take a close look at the situation and in fact conceded that he had already developed some of his own concerns. When I hung up I picked the phone back up and called United Airlines. I changed my flight and made arrangements to return to Eugene the following day.

The next day I arrived in Eugene at 7:00 PM. It was raining very hard. As I got into my car in the airport parking lot and turned on my cell phone, it rang almost immediately. A good friend, Lisa Verch who is a news anchor for the local ACB Affiliate, was on the line. She asked me if I head that floods were expected and I felt a sense of fear sweep over me. My management team and entire staff had done an excellent job during the February Floods and now they were trained and ready to roll. I activated a phone tree before I could even arrive at my office and by the time I made it to our facility just three miles west of the airport we already had five staff members en route. That night, at 2:00 AM Kristen Harris who was on our Emergency Response Team at the time found herself standing next to me at the Circle H Stables in Cresswell. We had been called in to evacuate several horses. Now, I looked in horror as Kristen, a slight woman of about 95 pounds clung to a pasture fence post near the bumper of my truck as the water quickly rose and threatened to sweep her away. Kristen was a tough cowgirl who had been around horses and wasn't about to lose a fight with Mother Nature. She made her way to the truck as we hauled the last load of horses out of the floodwaters in Cresswell. That was as close as I ever came to losing a team member. The following day we saw no rest as we rescued one load of animals after another. Again, when the rains subsided and we looked at our logbooks, 9 out of every 10 animals we rescued were livestock and again, mostly horses.

The floods of '96 were consistent as far as animal rescue work goes. We have seen a repeated pattern in which livestock animals are typically the ones in peril. There are a number of obvious and some not so obvious reasons. Let's examine some of them:

First and perhaps most obvious -- Dogs and cats are easy to "scoop up" and take with you. During the Black Ridge Fire in July of 1994 in Colorado, we had a very large, fast moving fire that caused residents to evacuate homes in both the High Flume and La Posta Canyon area. Once again, we found ourselves on horseback or helicopter, herding or otherwise relocating livestock. The residents in both canyons successfully carried their small companion animals (dogs, cats, hamsters, birds' etc.) with them on foot or in their vehicles. In disasters where residents have enough advanced warning, small animals seem to fare pretty well. Exceptions to this would be dogs or cats that have been tied to a stationary object while the owner is away and a fire or flood occurs. In these cases small animals cannot escape and are likely to become casualties. Tornados are one disaster that doesn't discriminate between small and large animals. Tornado's come fast and are often undetected until they are at your door.

For a number of reasons, livestock animals are the ones most often in need of rescue when disaster strikes. One reason is that many "backyard" horse owners do not own trailers. By the time floodwaters or fires arrive, moving the animals is very complicated or even perilous. Often times, horses and cattle will move themselves to higher ground while flood waters surround them and cut off their escape. Then, when the water rises to engulf their high ground, the owner can no longer get to them and it's sink or swim. And when there is a disaster at hand, animals sense the danger. More important, they sense your excitement and fear. Trying to load horses into a trailer in the face of approaching flames or floodwaters takes skill and patience. Unfortunately, time is a rare commodity in these instances. In the November '96 flood that hit rural Lane County at 2:00 AM when Kristen Harris and I were loading horses into a trailer with water at knee level and rising, things got interesting. You find out a lot about yourself and your horses at times such as these. I have seen people become panicked and try to whip or even beat a reluctant horse into a trailer with flames coming on fast. This is a no win, dangerous situation. It's time to cut the rope (remove the halter) and hope the animal has the good sense to follow your lead to safety.

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Do's and Don'ts

Do keep an emergency or disaster kit on hand for your pets. For example, if you have a bag with emergency supplies for you family you should place a bag with supplies in it for your pets in the same place. Have your pets' medication, food and water in this kit. For dogs and cats this is easy. For large animals such as horses, identify a friend who has property where you can keep your horse in the event of a disaster. If you are traveling, have a responsible party look after your horses and ask them to be prepared to move them in your absence should a disaster arise.

Do heed radio and TV announcement regarding an approaching disaster. DO NOT wait until the last minute. Move your livestock early if you have advanced warning. Nearly all fires and floods come with some advanced signs or warnings. It always amazes me that a brush fire would build in a community for three or four days yet someone wouldn't move their horses until the fire is just down the street. Always act in advance. Don't worry about looking paranoid or silly. Move your horses, cattle or sheep and then if trouble arrives you can worry about taking care of your home and family.

Do place ID on your pets. This means a microchip as far as I am concerned. Take it from someone who has coordinated six disaster efforts in during their career. Collars and Ids are OK but can become dislodged. Have a microchip implanted. I cannot believe how many animals turn up during disasters without even a collar. Getting your pet back starts with you, not the rescue agency.

Do not leave your dogs chained to stationary objects while you are away if you live in an area where disaster can strike. If you live in an area where fires and floods are common be especially aware of this.

Do not try and ride your horse through floodwaters. I saw this stunt at Serendipity Stables in Coburg during the '96 flood. The horse lost his balance and the rider went down in the water. Only by the good graces of God did she not get hung up and drowned that day. KEZI TV even has file footage on that particular incident. Floodwaters are full of debris and your horse is already stressed to the max. Walk him out.

Do not try and force your horse into a trailer if he won't load. This will only get you hurt and your horse banged up. If your horse won't load, it may be frustrating to you but remember he senses your tension as well as the impending disaster. If you have time, jog, ride or walk him out of the area if it is safe to do so. Obviously, if he'll load that is the ideal option. Remember to take hay, grain, any medication and an extra halter and dry horse blanket with you. It's not uncommon for people to get excited during an evacuation and forget to load these items into the truck.

Do not ever try and enter into a disaster area and remove horses etc. unless you are part of a pre-organized effort. I don't care if you are a Vet, a magician or even a lawyer, you'll screw up the whole effort. Using the Black Ridge Fire in Southwest Colorado in July '94 as an example, we had a command post at the Weaselskin Bridge. Around the perimeter of the fire we had an area closed off to the public. As we removed horses we catalogued them and knew exactly where we put them. After the fire, we would simply return them to where they came from. After the fire, only one person was missing a horse. She began making a lot of noise about how we had lost her horse and were unorganized. I was personally baffled because so much care had gone into making certain every animal was catalogued and cared for. As it turned out, a woman who worked at the County Commissioners Office drove into the fire area and loaded the horse and took it to her house. Was this a rescue? Maybe or maybe not. In the eyes of the Brand Inspector it is horse theft.

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When people help each other and the animals in a disaster a special community bond is formed. Get prepared now. Nearly every agency has a search and rescue team for people and a disaster team for animals. If you want to help, attend their training meetings and join in advance. Now we are hoping for a little more rain this year, but not too much ...

© 2001 by Kimball Lewis