Emergency Planning & Preparedness for Farm Animals

DISASTER PLANNING

One of the leading causes of death of farm animals in severe storm events are caused by building collapsed, dehydration, electrocution, and traffic accidents resulting from fencing failure. If you own farm animals, you should take precautions to protect them from hazards, no matter what the disaster could be for your area.

• Be ready to evacuate animals as soon as possible once an evacuation is ordered. In a slowly evolving disaster, such as a hurricane, leave no later than 72 hours before anticipated landfall, remember you will be hauling a high-profile trailer and wind can cause a problem when towing a horse trailer.
• Look for place to shelter your animals. Prepare ahead within your community to find safe shelters for farm animals. Potential facilities could include fairgrounds, other farms, racetracks, humane societies and any other safe facilities you can find along your planned evacuation route.
• Look for at least two possible evacuation routes well in advance.
• Preplan transportation. Trucks, trailers, and other vehicles for transporting livestock ( specific type of animal) that can be available, along with handlers and drivers.
• Have a disaster kit with supplies with you or make sure that your needs will be available at your evacuation site. You should have or be able to obtain feed, water, veterinary supplies, handling equipment, tools and generators if necessary.
• If your animals are go to be sheltered off your property, try to make sure that animals remain in groups they are used to and securely contained in a location that offers good sheltered from the elements necessary, whether in cages, fenced-in areas, or buildings.

FARM DISASTER KIT

Put together a disaster kit with what you will need on hand in the event of a disaster. Have the kit in a central location and let others know where it is. Regularly check to ensure that things are fresh and complete. Include emergency items, then add items that you use every day:

• Current list of all animals, records of feeding, vaccinations and tests. available at several locations. Make sure that you have proof of ownership for all animals.
• Have temporary identification of your animals, such as plastic neckbands or large permanent markers to mark your animals with your name.
• Have a basic first aid kit.
• Handling equipment such as halters, cages, and tools for each kind of animal.
• Water, feed, and buckets.
• Tools and supplies.
• Emergency equipment such as a cell phone, flashlights, portable radios, and batteries generators.
• Other safety and emergency items for vehicles and trailers, gas, oil, chains and tools
• Food, water, and disaster supplies for your family.

Your local humane organization, agricultural extension agent, may be able to provide you with information.

WHY SHOULD LIVESTOCK OWNERS NEED TO BE PREPARED

Disaster preparedness is important for all animals, but it is particularly important for the larger livestock because of requirements needed to shelter or transport them. If you think that disasters can only happen only if you live in a floodplain, near an earthquake fault line, you may be tragically mistaken. Disasters can happen anywhere, they include barn fires, hazardous materials spills, propane explosions, and train derailments, all of which may make evacuation a necessity . It is important that you be prepared to react to keep your livestock safe, whether you evacuate or shelter in place.

TAKE PRECAUTIONS

• Make a disaster plan to protect your property, your buildings, and your animals. Create a list of emergency phone numbers, including those of your employees, neighbors, veterinarian, poison control, animal shelter, animal care and control, local agricultural schools, tailoring resources, and local volunteers. Include people outside your area. Make sure all this information is written down and that everyone has a copy.
• Make sure every animal has visible identification.
• Ensure that poultry have high areas in which to perch, if they are in a flood-prone area, as well as to food and clean water.
• Reinforce your house, barn, and outbuildings. perform regular safety checks on utilities, buildings, and all facilities on your farm.
• Consider rerouting permanent fencing so that animals may move to high ground in a flood and to low-lying areas in high-wind events.
• Have an available water supply or enough large containers to water your animals for at least a week (municipal water supplies and wells are often contaminated during a disaster).
• Identify alternate water and power sources. A generator with fuel may be essential, especially if you have electrical equipment necessary to the well-being of your animals.
• Reduce debris that could blow around and injure stock or buildings, make a habit of securing trailers, propane tanks, and other large objects. If you have feed troughs, or other large containers, fill them with water before any high-wind event. This prevents them from blowing around and gives you additional water.
• Make sure the wiring is safe and that any heat source is clear of flammable debris. Check all heat lamps or other electrical machinery for safety,
• Place hazardous materials in the same safe area and have them well labeled Provide local fire Department with information about the location of any hazardous materials on your property.
• Be aware hazardous material that are stored can during a flooding leech into crops, feed supplies, water sources, and pasture.
• Review and update your emergency plans regularly.

SHELTERING IN PLACE

If evacuation is not possible, and the decision is to be made whether to confine large animals to an available shelter on your farm or leave them out in pastures. Many owners may believe that their animals are safer inside barns, but in many circumstances, this takes away the animals' ability to protect themselves. This decision should be based on the type of disaster, soundness and location of the sheltering building. Survey your property for the best location for animal sheltering. If your pasture area meets the following criteria, your large animals may be better out in the pasture rather than being evacuated:

• No trees which uproot easily
• No overhead power lines or poles
• No debris or sources of blowing debris
• No barbed-wire fencing.
• Area no less than one acre in size (in less that one acre, your livestock may not be able to avoid blowing debris).

If your pasture area does not meet these criteria, you should evacuate. Whether you evacuate or shelter in place, make sure that you have adequate and safe fencing or pens to separate and group animals appropriately.

The Common Disaster - Barn Fires

Preventing barn fires and being prepared in the event of a fire can mean the difference between life and death for your livestock.

Knowledge of the danger of fires and how to deal with them is of the greatest importance and should be an ongoing concern to livestock owners.

FIRE PREVENTION IS KEY

• Prohibit smoking in or around the barn. A discarded cigarette can ignite dry bedding or hay in seconds.
• Avoid parking tractors and vehicles in or near the barn. Engine heat and backfires can spark a flame. Also, store other machinery and flammable materials outside of the barn.
• Inspect electrical systems regularly and immediately correct any problems. Rodents can chew on electrical wiring and cause damage that can quickly become a fire hazard. _ Keep appliances to a minimum in the barn. Use stall fans, space heaters, and radios only when someone is in the barn.
• Install a sprinkler system.
• Be sure hay is dry before storing it. Hay that is too moist may spontaneously combust. Store hay outside of the barn in a dry, covered area when possible.

BE PREPARED FOR A FIRE

• Mount fire extinguishers in all buildings, especially at all entrances. Make sure they are current and that your family and employees know how to use them.
• Keep aisles, stall doors, and barn doors free of debris and equipment.
• Have a planned evacuation route for every area of your farm, and familiarize all family members and employees with your evacuation plans.
• Post emergency telephone numbers at each telephone and at each entrance. Emergency telephone numbers should include those of the veterinarian, emergency response personnel, and qualified livestock handlers. Also, keep your barn's street address clearly posted to relay to the 911 operator or your community's emergency services.
• Be sure your address and the entrance to your farm are clearly visible from the main road.
• Install smoke alarms and heat detectors in all buildings. New heat sensors can detect rapidly changing temperatures in buildings. Smoke detectors and heat sensors should be hooked up to sirens that will quickly alert you and your neighbors to a possible fire.
• Host an open house for emergency services personnel in your area to familiarize them with the layout of your property. Provide them with tips on handling your animals or present a mini-seminar with hands-on training.
• Familiarize your animals with emergency procedures and common things they would encounter during a disaster. Try to desensitize them to flashlights and flashing lights.

IN THE EVENT OF A BARN FIRE

• Immediately call 911 or your local emergency services. Keep that number clearly posted.
• Do not enter any building if it is already engulfed in flames.
• If it is safe for you to enter the barn, evacuate animals starting with the most accessible ones.
• Move animals quickly to a fenced area far enough from the fire and smoke. Never let animals loose in an area where they are able to return to a burning building.