How do you deal with hurricane problems?

[Margie]

Hurricane season is upon us, and it looks like it might be a bad one. I've never had an indoor squirrel before to worry about taking care of in the aftermath of a bad storm. After Hurricane Ivan, we were without power for two weeks, that means no lights and worse no A/C. During the storm, the power was out and the windows closed. The noise and heat was terrible and scary for me, the dog, and the cats and it went on for hours. Since Stormy Lee is closed up in her own room (usually in her cage at night), I am wondering how to keep her cool if we have no power? She could chew through the window screens if she is out of her cage with the windows open, and leaving her room door closed will cut down on the circulation through the hot house and her room. It gets really hot here in the summer and very humid. I can't sweat and suffer badly and really dread the summer anyway. Stormy is also in my cat room where I usually put the outside cats if I need to bring them in, so now I don't know what to do with the three of them. How do the rest of you in hurricane territory deal with these problems? I know to have water, food, batteries, candles, etc. I am an old hand at preparing for a storm, just not with a squirrel.

[djarenspace9]

Excellent question...one I need to worry about too!
I'd probably cage all my free roaming NRs and have them out on the porch or wherever the coolest place is to be.
They won't be happy about it but can keep ice and cool water and other refreshing treats like fruit on hand.

I have one fan that runs on battery (a camping one) so maybe a few of those to circulate air.

That's all I can come up with for now...

I guess you could always head to the nearest La Quinta with power :D
Pet friendly...I lived at one for 6 weeks with one of my squirrels! :thumbsup

[Uno's Mom]

Just a reminder that after Charley and the other two hurricanes of 2004, the grocery stores and gas stations were without Power for several days. In some areas there was no ice, fresh fruit, etc. Lines were awful and supplies very limited for weeks. Some areas were without Power fpr almost a month. I would suggest the standard people protocol when it comes to food and meds for the squirrels. Nonperishable food and enough bottled water for at least a week.

I think most stores in the Central florida region had backup generators installed after 2004 but it depends on where you live whether that is the case.

[Margie]

That's the way it was here. No stores open, the power outage was so widespread. There was no ice or fruit. We lived on Vienna Sausages and crackers for a few days until we got some MRE's. No running water or phone for a week either. Then just cold water since we had no power and the temp was in the 90's and so was the humidity. Plus we have 8 cats, a dog and 3 horses to look after. Any hotels or motels are always full from people evacuating from closer to the coast. We have a brick house that is pretty sturdy but lots of trees blow down. Roads are blocked. It's a mess and a nightmare. If we get another like that one, and we've had plenty during my life, Stormy Lee won't get any fresh fruits and vegetables unless its something I can find growing in the yard. I have a small battery operated fan, but I think I'll look for some more when I go shopping. Just in Case! I didn't want to put Stormy's cage outside because of the outside cats. She isn't exposed to the outside or any of the other animals.

[Jackie in Tampa]

Well if it's an east coast storm, I will help board sqs and anyone who is brave enough to stay here..
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My sister has a farmhouse (empty) in downtown FtMeade..I think I will get us permission to all be able to go there...it's a big house with alot of rooms, old house with a generator, she also has a 4000sq foot store in Ft Meade...in the middle of nowhere Ft Meade!:tilt
I say it's safe, I was there for a that huricane that came up thru the middle of the state and tore the hell outta FtMeade, but that was such a fluke..
In my 4o plus years in Florida, I have never seen trees down as big, bigger around than my van is tall, no lie...
Two months after the storm, I drove my mother to sisters house, as we pulled into town, my silly mom said, I don't like those blue roofs, what's that about?
I says mom, those aren't roofs, those are tarps, those people have no roofs..
:sanp3
I worked in FtMeade for three months, it was a mess...yes my sisters house was fine...big generators...but what a mess a storm can do...MOther nature can be wicked!
Water and Food trucks were everywhere...:thumbsup
Tide came with portable laundry facilities etc..washers and dryers in a semi..
but it took a few days before ANYTHING HELPFUL happened.
The Human Society DID have peeps with Pet food and a There was a Mobile Vet from Tampa there as well.
FEMA had their peeps and doctors etc..
It takes Team work:)
Anyhow, Sq Central is little but I will be an east coast shelter if anyone needs someplace.:thumbsup

[jbtartell]

Ohhh I love big farm houses.. why does she not live there? I would.. lol :D they usually have the big windows to open to let the breeze flow through.. ahhh yes I can imagine being there now.. Umm see what ya did Jackie, hehehe now I wanna move again and cant..lol:bowdown :poke

[MiriamS]

I don't know what you feed your squirrel but maybe buy a bag of block food that doesn't need to be refrigerated in case you aren't able to get your usual fresh squirrel salad mixings. Just a thought.

Are you a new rehabber or do you expect to take in squirrels blown out of nests during hurricanes? I went through this last year and have lots of advice on basic things to keep in the house just in case. You never know if your friends, knowing you have one squirrel, might bring you babies they find. Always good to keep Pedialyte and a can of condensed goat's milk in the house with a syringe for feeding.

[Anne]

I have a big generator and a power converter that runs off my truck battery. (both from Pep Boys Auto supply). Getting enough gas for the generator has been a problem plus the awful noise it makes. Generator will run refrigerator and window AC unit that will keep one room cool, everyone just has to pile in there and live together. Camp stove keeps people fed canned food and heats water. Large cooler can keep some food cool if you can get ice. Lots of bottled water, large gallons are cheaper and easier to store. Lived many years in Florida and been through many hurricanes, as long as you don't lose your windows/roof or severe flooding, you can make it. You will be drowned with babies afterward, so have FV and feeding supplies ready.
Power Converter was not expensive, generator bought off season. You will need several heavy duty extension cords too for the AC and frig. Don't forget to buy gas cans to keep the generator running, small one for lawn mover won't cut it. DO NOT put your generator in your garage-had a friend burn her house and all contents down doing that!!!!!

[crazysquirrels]

A squirrel and people can go a looooooooong time without fresh food. Canned food for people and simple blocks with other dry goods are fine for a squirrel for a bit. Think about it. Do squirrels get awsome food during a snow storm? Nope. A generator is idea and those that live in an area when you have these events should have them.

[djarenspace9]

Great ideas Miriam!
Non-perishable blocks...canned goat milk...pedialyte :thumbsup

[HRT4SQRLS]

I saw something at a feed store recently that is helpful for keeping animals cool. They had a pen of rabbits on the porch. Even though they were in the shade, it was HOT.:devil The rabbits were panting. They had frozen water bottles in the cage and the rabbits were huddled up against them. I thought that was a great idea. I told the guy inside I sure was glad they had those frozen bottles in the cage or I would have been forced to buy them to rescue them.:rotfl In a closed freezer, they might last a couple of days.

In 2004, we spent the entire summer, preparing for a hurricane, hunkered down during a hurricane or cleaning up after the hurricane.:shakehead I'm a native Floridian and I've never seen anything like it before or since. Hope to never see it again. We were without power 2 times during that summer. After that, I bought a generator (hard wired) and a buried 250 gallon LP tank. Never again!

[Uno's Mom]

I saw something at a feed store recently that is helpful for keeping animals cool. They had a pen of rabbits on the porch. Even though they were in the shade, it was HOT.:devil The rabbits were panting. They had frozen water bottles in the cage and the rabbits were huddled up against them. I thought that was a great idea. I told the guy inside I sure was glad they had those frozen bottles in the cage or I would have been forced to buy them to rescue them.:rotfl In a closed freezer, they might last a couple of days.

In 2004, we spent the entire summer, preparing for a hurricane, hunkered down during a hurricane or cleaning up after the hurricane.:shakehead I'm a native Floridian and I've never seen anything like it before or since. Hope to never see it again. We were without power 2 times during that summer. After that, I bought a generator (hard wired) and a buried 250 gallon LP tank. Never again!

I'm with ya Patti. We installed and hardwired a Generac and buried a 250 gallon tank as well. I don't EVER want to go through three storms in six weeks again!

[HRT4SQRLS]

:thumbsup Ain't it the truth Gayle. We hung out at my mom's for days cooking on a grill, no AC, limited water.. My brother said, "One more day and we would have turned into animals.":rofl4

[Sweet Simon's Mommy]

I was in southern Florida for Andrew, no power for 3 weeks.
I went with my church group to the bowels of Homestead where you saw nothing and yet everything...gone. Trees were splinters. Homes... not even foundations left. No gas, no food, no water, no roads to get out, nothing was recognizable , how do you continue with nothing, each week we went down the smell got worse. First it was bugs, then the rats then the foul smell of death and rot.
Depending on the storm.....leave.
I moved up to the Daytona area to get away from storms then in 2004 there were 4
one right after another and they hadnt had a storm here in 40 years.
Charlie dropped all the large oak branches that had been here for centuries. Streets were all blocked because there was so much debris. No electricity for about a week. Humain Society got over 2,000 baby squirrels.
The next storm came before all the debris could be picked up , so it got re-skattered all over again plus massive flooding the area had not seen in 100 or so years. No electricity for about 10 days.
We eat lots of cereal bars, canned fruit, eat peanut butter with a spoon out of the jar, after the bread went bad and when it is 100 degrees and humid everything goes bad fast. and nuts, we eat lots of nuts!!
We filled the bath tub with water and two caps of bleach to clean things with, flooding causes water contamination and disease. Have 3 gallons of water per-person per day. Flash lights, not candles, generaters are nice but dont always work and can be very dangerous if not operated properly. Have lots of buggy stuff. Foggers are good, those little things you can hang up last a couple of days.
You will find away as long as you are prepared, and you can never be overly prepared because you don't know what degree of devastation will hit you.

[Uno's Mom]

The power outage with Charley took out the compressor on my refrigerator. I have been "refrigerator" challenged since motherhood took over my life. My mother used to open the fridge door and say, "what happened to my soooo organized child?"

Well her refrigerator challenged daughter forgot there was frozen fish in the freezer (it was buried under something else, or many something elses). I didn't think I'd ever get the smell out of my house.

Why do they tell you not to open and close the refrigerator doors so your food won't spoil? If the power doesn't come back on for three-five days it's all bad anyway! :soapbox

[Sweet Simon's Mommy]

when I hear a hurricine is a comin, I cook all my meat then freeze it that way at least you can eat it as it thaws out

[quagmire]

This may have been mentioned but,

DO NOT KEEP A GENERATOR RUNNING INDOORS OR EVEN UNDER THE EDGE OF THE ROOF WITH LITTLE TO NO CIRCULATION. KEEP IT AWAY FROM THE HOUSE SO CARBON MONOXIDE CAN'T BE BLOWN OR DRAWN IN THE HOUSE.

a PSA from Quagmire, Jeff & Sherry :)

[Sweet Simon's Mommy]

This may have been mentioned but,

DO NOT KEEP A GENERATOR RUNNING INDOORS OR EVEN UNDER THE EDGE OF THE ROOF WITH LITTLE TO NO CIRCULATION. KEEP IT AWAY FROM THE HOUSE SO CARBON MONOXIDE CAN'T BE BLOWN OR DRAWN IN THE HOUSE.

a PSA from Quagmire, Jeff & Sherry :)
my words exactly:thumbsup