KEY WEST – A TROPICAL PARADISE …..UNTIL, HURRICANE SEASON
ARE YOU READY? DON’T FORGET YOUR PETS!
During my government career, one of the last missions I supported landed me in Key West Florida. My husband and I were so excited to leave Washington DC traffic, cold winters & the headaches that come along with being so close to, what we referred to in the government as, “ the flag pole” (aka headquarters). Sunshine, sand, cool breezes, beautiful green & blue waters, 42 bridges from the mainland and the place I would call home for the next 4 ½ years – YES PLEASE! When I presented this assignment opportunity to my then partner, also a federal government employee, he was all in on one condition; he would retire after 35 years of federal service. No brainer, he packed up his 30-foot sport fisher and away we went!
During my tenure in Key West, I led a team of 15-28 multi-service military service members, in pursuit of one of the best and most fun missions I have ever supported during my 25 years of government service. Steve and I settled 25 miles north of Key West on Summerland Key. He spent his days fishing and taking care of the dogs. While I worked on the real southernmost point. It was heaven!!! It seemed the first year we were there the daily forecast was sunny and 82 degrees. My commute was one lane with no on/off ramps, very few turns, very few cars, and nothing but gorgeous blue-green water, palm trees, bridges, and sky.
Amongst our normal mission work, every May we started gearing up for hurricane season. Hurricane season runs from June 1 – 30 November. Planning brought on endless meetings, preparatory tasks, and drills. As June crept closer, days were spent running “what if” scenarios. An impending hurricane of great magnitude meant evacuation and mission reconstitution somewhere safer, no small feat for sure. Mass evacuation of an estimated 70,000 residents and 12,000 visitors across a 113-mile – 2 lane, 42-bridge road was going to be problematic, to say the least.
After my arrival in December of 2013, I spent the hurricane seasons of 2014-2016, waist-deep in preparation and exercising for “the big one,”, yet thankfully never had to implement. Then came 2017. The hurricane season plugged along uneventfully as we received our daily weather briefings during the early morning operations briefing. As the weather was typically 82 and sunny, I would sip my coffee, think about what the day ahead would bring, and mentally prepare for my turn to brief. Then came September 1st, 2017. The ramp-up to Hurricane Irma had everyone on edge. Category 4, Hurricane Irma, was on a B-line for the Florida Keys. Impending evacuation orders were being drafted and my site was preparing to deploy ahead of the civilian evacuation. It was GO TIME!
I assembled the team, gave the pep talk, and ordered the departure of our advance team. I kept in close contact with my team and their families throughout the arduous journey out of the Keys. Steve had taken care of all the necessary preparations needed at home. Our most prized possessions that could be carried were loaded into his truck. My 2 door Jeep would be left for our 2 dogs and 1 cat. We loaded our small flatbed trailer with extra gasoline, a generator, and tools that may be needed upon return to a hurricane-ravaged home. We raised whatever we could inside the house as high as possible, screwed on the hurricane shutters, and waited for the call from my last team member to reach the mainland. Once that call came in, Steve and I could pull out. By this time, the residents and tourists had received the mandatory evacuation order and the Overseas Highway had become gridlocked. Steve, dogs Abby and Blue, and cat, Oscar the Grouch, sat in traffic for 27+ hours, non-stop to the mainland. It was nightmarish, to say the least. No food or water other than what we threw in the vehicles with us. Napping only while waiting in 2-3 hour long lines at gas stations. The dogs were taken out in howling winds and unfamiliar territory to do their business. Eventually, we arrived at our destination 2 hours before the eye of the storm hit our home on Summerland Key.
At 9:10 am on Sept. 10th, Hurricane Irma, a Category 4 hurricane, made landfall on Cudjoe Key – 1 mile from our home on Summerland Key. Our little conch house took on over 5 feet of water. All furniture was lost and everything else was infected with black mold during the long wait until access back to the Keys was granted. Although there was much more to this story, which took place over the next 10 months of our lives, as we were shuffled from multiple FEMA accommodations, this blog is already too long and has lost its focus. So I will get to the long-awaited point.
Being the pet lover that I am, hurricane preparations not only included my beloved team and their human family members but also their pets. All of our planning and preparations included pets. Why do I tell you this story? Because I cannot stress enough the importance of Emergency Planning and Preparedness, for your human and 4 legged family members. I have lived it. It is not fun. And all of my pets were stressed even with much preparation. In a true emergency, natural disaster, catastrophe, terrorist attack, etc. stores, pharmacies, banks, and gas stations may be closed or out of gas or god forbid, cash. ATM machines may not be stocked or functioning. Being prepared is
If you have read this far, THANK YOU! If you just skipped to the end for the good stuff, that’s okay too! Here it is. If you do nothing else with this article but download, print, and/or use these attachments, then my time spent on this blog was well worth it.
Attached to this blog are the following:
- Pet Bug Out Bag List
- Pet First Aid Kit Basics
- 24/7 Emergency Vet Care #s (Augusta & Columbia)
- Red & Howling’s:
- How To Save A Choking Pet
- Rescue Breathing
- Awareness & Prevention
