Hurricane prep

[Asha]

I could really use some advice. My city is right in the path of Hurricane Isaac, and will likely be hit on Monday. Its hard to say exactly which way the storm will actually end up going because alot can happen between now and then. Its only supposed to be a Category 1, so not really a big deal but its very likely that I will lose power. This will be my first hurricane having chinchillas in the house. I have chin-chillers and also slabs of granite that have always been in each chins cage, but I know this probably won't be enough depending on how long the power is out.

I don't think the city will be opening any shelters because its such a low category storm, mostly they just say stay indoors. Worst case scenario, I can end up taking them to my parents house because they will have a small generator that can run a mobile air conditioning unit (its this unit that's on wheels that you can roll into any room of the house and cool that area down, pretty cool actually). If I have to do that I will, but I also worry about stressing them out by having to put them in their carriers and drive around. I want to keep them calm and happy. Any other ideas you guys have that would keep my chinnies cool in the event of a short term power outage? Its not like the sun is going to be out during the storm so the temp in my house would rise at a very slow rate, so I say short term as in a couple hours, any longer and I imagine I will need to take them to my family's house depending on the room temp.

 

[tunes]

You're not going to kill them transporting them somewhere. People all over the country drive their chins 10-16 hours or more to attend shows for a weekend, then turn around and take them home. They do just fine.

If it was me, and I was really worried about losing power, I'd move them now in advance of the storm, get them settled in, and then if nothing happens bring them home. There's not much you can do to keep them cool without air conditioning and your slabs aren't going to hold the cold either, especially if you can't refreeze them.

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

Just in case you decide to stay home, plan on picking up a couple of bags ice NOW to have in your freezer, because you know there will be a run on it if the power goes out.

You should also fill your car up so if you have to, you can use the car for a cooling area, even if you can't drive it.

Good luck!!!

 

[partygirlha]

if you have coolers you can store additioal bags of ice in them. try to make some fleece covers for whatever you plan to put the ice in. You don't want them chewing on plastic.

 

[Asha]

Thank you everyone for the advice! I've got some ice in the freezer already, but will probably pick up some more in case I need it. I just checked on the storm's path, its projected path has moved more west which is good because my city is no longer in the center of the cone like before. We will most likely just get alot of wind and heavy rain, but it does not look like it will be near as bad as it looked before. Who knows, it may even continue curving to the west. The local weather people are saying that they will be able to get a more accurate prediction of the path once it hits Cuba.

 

[6Dusters]

After being in a catagory 3 hurricane ( direct hit in Mississippi), I can tell you that people in the path of hurricane activity should know the Saffir -Simpson scale. Below is the mph of each. My catagory 3 storm was evil and turned cars over at 125 mph. Pulled ocean front houses off their foundations and left wooded neighborhoods looking like a bomb went off. Some streets were not even able to be seen due to trees down like being hit with bowling balls. I was 25 miles inland and the path went miles north. No electricity for a week. So have a plan. Know how much gas your generator will need. And store it. You can always pour it into the car afterwards. No electricity means stores cannot pump gas unless they have a generator to do so. Fill up the bathtub for water to drink, bathe and flush the toilet with. Good luck down there! My inlaws are near Ft. Meyers and staying. They were smart and installed hurricane shutters some years back that also link up with the generator as to be raised after the storm.

A tropical storm: 39-73 mph
Cat 1: 74-95 mph
Cat 2: 96-110 mph
Cat 3: 111-129 mph
Cat 4: 130-156 mph
Cat 5: 157 +

 

[Spoof]

My guess is it will either fizz out to nothing or become a cat 4/5 and rape N.O. again. lol. It's still a weak tropical storm though there was a guy running around Lowe's last night freaking out about the "hurricane". He was very concerned that the only thing I was getting was weed killer and ant poison. Priorities man.

I keep enough carriers to put the entire herd in and drive to somewhere that has a/c. I keep in contact with people all over to make sure that I can visit them with 60 chins in the event that this happens, I've done enough 5-7 day trips to know that they will be fine in the carriers for that length of time. The bigger issue would be if the barn got destroyed, then I'd need to set up a place to house them afterwards. Probably drive them back up to Oregon and drop them in Ronda's empty cages. Road trip!

 

[Asha]

Its looking like its gonna fizz into nothing like Spoof said. Its almost cleared South Florida entirely so thats good. We will likely just have a heap ton of rain. I've been through bigger hurricanes before, so I know what to expect for the most part, its just I was really worried about losing power with the high winds. I've never had chins through a heavy storm so I was kinda getting nervous, but it looks like it will be ok. Yay! Thanks for everyone's great advice, I'm definitely going to be modifying my action plans for the chins for any upcoming storms because hurricane season isn't over yet!

 

[partygirlha]

I’m glad you and your chins were OK. A FB friend lost power at her place in NO… but she had the room cooled really cold so it only got up to 75’F when the power came back on… and she had a backup plan to move everyone down the road to a home with a AC on a generator if it got too hot at her place.

Here in NYC I don’t have to worry much, but a few years back there were a lot of power outages that lasted days – so in summer I always keep a ton of frozen water bottles on hand (and fleece covers for them to prevent chewing), and I’ve got small cages I can set up in my basement… I’ve never had to move anyone, but I do worry about it from time to time – always better to have a plan and not need it, than to need it and not have a plan

 

[Asha]

I remember hearing about those power outages! That must have been nerve wracking for you! I was telling my mom just the other day how much differently you have to plan when you have exotics. My dogs are always fine during storms/power outages. They just hang out with me because they are usually scared and I just make sure they have plenty of cold water and they are fine. Chinnies are just so different, you've got to plan extra carefully. And I def agree with you, better to have a plan and not need it than need it and not have it!