WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.060 Welcome back to the Light Keepers podcast, an 00:00:03.060 --> 00:00:05.219 exclusive production of A Guiding Light, our 00:00:05.219 --> 00:00:08.220 non -profit charity dedicated to the idea that 00:00:08.220 --> 00:00:10.939 knowledge is power and good information leads 00:00:10.939 --> 00:00:14.179 to a better life. I'm Clayton Vandiver, your 00:00:14.179 --> 00:00:17.600 Light Keeper, with my co -host as always, Charlene, 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:19.980 our licensed clinical social worker who is certified 00:00:19.980 --> 00:00:23.519 in the state of Florida. And this show is dedicated 00:00:23.519 --> 00:00:26.079 to everyone who wants to get the most quality 00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:29.539 out of life that they can. Join us for the conversation 00:00:29.539 --> 00:00:32.759 this week about hurricane preparedness and so 00:00:32.759 --> 00:00:36.020 much more on this edition of the Light Keepers 00:00:36.020 --> 00:01:04.879 podcast. And that open is particularly appropriate 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:09.040 for the Light Keepers podcast because this is 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:11.519 a conversation about hurricane preparedness. 00:01:11.900 --> 00:01:14.439 Please leave your questions or comments below 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:17.640 and join our conversation. We'll also have some 00:01:17.640 --> 00:01:21.280 links below with specific locations to go to 00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:24.760 for some of the things we talk about today. Questions 00:01:24.760 --> 00:01:27.000 are answered during our next show online each 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:29.400 Wednesday evening at 7 p .m. Eastern. The Light 00:01:29.400 --> 00:01:32.719 Keepers podcast is an exclusive production of 00:01:32.719 --> 00:01:36.060 A Guiding Light Incorporated. And, Charlene, 00:01:36.140 --> 00:01:39.500 our dealing with hurricane preparedness doesn't 00:01:39.500 --> 00:01:42.180 apply to some of our viewers and listeners out 00:01:42.180 --> 00:01:45.260 on the west coast of the United States and through 00:01:45.260 --> 00:01:50.099 much of the plain states, but by golly. Here 00:01:50.099 --> 00:01:52.500 on the eastern seaboard, that's a very important 00:01:52.500 --> 00:01:54.519 topic this time of year. Well, you know, and 00:01:54.519 --> 00:01:57.760 the thing is, no matter where you are in the 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:01.439 United States, you're going to face some sort 00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:04.159 of weather emergency, whether you're snowed in 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:06.540 from a blizzard, whether there's been an earthquake 00:02:06.540 --> 00:02:12.020 or flooding or a hurricane. We all have our own 00:02:12.020 --> 00:02:15.479 special little challenges with where we live. 00:02:16.180 --> 00:02:20.080 And preparing. the need to prepare is universal 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:24.819 yeah and that is really the key to surviving 00:02:24.819 --> 00:02:27.639 is preparing how well you prepare ahead of time 00:02:27.639 --> 00:02:30.060 is how well well you will weather the way is 00:02:30.060 --> 00:02:33.900 how well you will be able to speak to the camera 00:02:33.900 --> 00:02:36.759 no how well you prepare ahead of time is how 00:02:36.759 --> 00:02:39.740 well you will weather the storm say that fast 00:02:39.740 --> 00:02:44.139 three times no probably not um but i wanted to 00:02:44.139 --> 00:02:47.300 ask what What is the first step? First of all, 00:02:47.300 --> 00:02:49.300 let's introduce our special guest this week. 00:02:49.719 --> 00:02:54.360 So this is Nugget. Nugget is our little foster 00:02:54.360 --> 00:02:59.159 kitten. And I would say he's acclimating well. 00:03:00.259 --> 00:03:07.699 He's a sweetheart. So we are fostering Nugget 00:03:07.699 --> 00:03:11.159 from the Jacksonville Humane Society. So while 00:03:11.159 --> 00:03:14.479 we're taking care of him, while he gets a little 00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:17.259 bit of age and a little bit of weight and gets 00:03:17.259 --> 00:03:20.919 to a point that he can safely be adopted, put 00:03:20.919 --> 00:03:24.360 up for adoption. Practically a newborn. We've 00:03:24.360 --> 00:03:29.650 had him for three weeks now. So if he's this 00:03:29.650 --> 00:03:31.770 small now, you can just imagine how little he 00:03:31.770 --> 00:03:34.169 was when he started. He was three weeks old when 00:03:34.169 --> 00:03:36.650 we started fostering him. Barely a handful of 00:03:36.650 --> 00:03:40.490 kitten. Now he's about two handfuls. But very, 00:03:40.610 --> 00:03:45.349 very sweet little fellow. And he's kind of wound 00:03:45.349 --> 00:03:50.960 down now. We wanted to include him in the show 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:53.360 today because it's very important to consider 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:55.080 when you're doing your hurricane preparedness 00:03:55.080 --> 00:03:58.099 to prepare for pets. Absolutely. And not just 00:03:58.099 --> 00:04:01.139 tie up the dog. They found after Hurricane Katrina 00:04:01.139 --> 00:04:04.379 in New Orleans and many other places, animals 00:04:04.379 --> 00:04:06.560 that had just been tied up outside the house. 00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:11.340 Some of them in flood areas that were literally 00:04:11.340 --> 00:04:15.780 straining and stretching at their collars trying 00:04:15.780 --> 00:04:20.170 to keep their head above water. And that's a 00:04:20.170 --> 00:04:24.069 tragic situation. It was very tragic. And so 00:04:24.069 --> 00:04:30.149 after Katrina came through, it had only been 00:04:30.149 --> 00:04:35.850 a few days before we took supplies and went to 00:04:35.850 --> 00:04:39.009 provide support to the Humane Society of the 00:04:39.009 --> 00:04:41.269 United States with their rescue and recovery 00:04:41.269 --> 00:04:51.470 efforts. Atrocious. Atrocious. It was heartbreaking. 00:04:51.889 --> 00:04:54.329 I don't blame the people. They were in desperate 00:04:54.329 --> 00:04:57.610 situations. And that's the whole point of the 00:04:57.610 --> 00:05:00.170 show is because with proper planning and preparation, 00:05:00.509 --> 00:05:03.509 desperate situations don't have to be. Yeah. 00:05:03.569 --> 00:05:06.889 In times of emergency and in times of panic, 00:05:07.149 --> 00:05:10.410 we do a lot of things that we wouldn't do otherwise. 00:05:10.490 --> 00:05:13.189 And sometimes we forget about the pets. Well, 00:05:13.329 --> 00:05:16.529 we recommend that you make the pets part of your 00:05:16.529 --> 00:05:21.769 preparedness. plan for a storm, an earthquake, 00:05:22.209 --> 00:05:26.529 a snow, a blizzard, whatever situation regularly 00:05:26.529 --> 00:05:29.709 happens in your part of the world, your part 00:05:29.709 --> 00:05:32.930 of the country. If floods are an important thing 00:05:32.930 --> 00:05:36.149 to be prepared for, then consider the pets as 00:05:36.149 --> 00:05:41.050 well. So the key things when prepping for your 00:05:41.050 --> 00:05:43.569 pet as well as yourself, you want to make sure 00:05:43.569 --> 00:05:46.610 that you have You want to make sure that you 00:05:46.610 --> 00:05:50.790 have enough food and water for everybody, not 00:05:50.790 --> 00:05:54.209 just yourself, but also your pet. You want to 00:05:54.209 --> 00:05:57.509 make sure that if it's dry food, for example, 00:05:57.529 --> 00:05:59.949 you want to make sure that you have a waterproof 00:05:59.949 --> 00:06:03.449 tub or tote that you're keeping it in. Or put 00:06:03.449 --> 00:06:06.170 it in Ziploc bags. Or put it in Ziploc bags. 00:06:06.389 --> 00:06:09.810 You want to make sure that if... there's any 00:06:09.810 --> 00:06:11.930 medication. You want to make sure that you have 00:06:11.930 --> 00:06:14.410 plenty of medication for yourself as well as 00:06:14.410 --> 00:06:20.069 your pet. Supplies. I know a lot of people, especially 00:06:20.069 --> 00:06:26.149 people who have dogs, if they are concerned that 00:06:26.149 --> 00:06:28.170 their dog is not going to be able to go outside, 00:06:28.529 --> 00:06:31.550 one of the things that they'll do is they'll 00:06:31.550 --> 00:06:34.790 get like a small kiddie pool and they'll put 00:06:36.040 --> 00:06:38.060 dirt and grass or they'll even put artificial 00:06:38.060 --> 00:06:40.540 turf as a place for the dog to go to the bathroom 00:06:40.540 --> 00:06:43.660 when it can't go outside so you want to make 00:06:43.660 --> 00:06:45.000 sure that you're preparing a little bit of the 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:47.019 outside inside exactly you want to make sure 00:06:47.019 --> 00:06:49.560 that you're preparing that way for cats you want 00:06:49.560 --> 00:06:53.120 to make sure you have cat litter you also want 00:06:53.120 --> 00:06:57.800 to make sure that you know that you have first 00:06:57.800 --> 00:07:00.560 aid supplies not just for yourself not just for 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:03.769 your family but also for your pet Well, I'll 00:07:03.769 --> 00:07:05.769 tell you what, I've got a disaster supply kit 00:07:05.769 --> 00:07:09.550 checklist that was provided by the Florida Department 00:07:09.550 --> 00:07:13.550 of Emergency Management, Florida Division of 00:07:13.550 --> 00:07:16.649 Emergency Management, and they actually have 00:07:16.649 --> 00:07:18.709 put a lot of those same things you're suggesting 00:07:18.709 --> 00:07:21.790 in a nice kit. We'll have a link to that down 00:07:21.790 --> 00:07:24.610 below, but let me show that to you, where you 00:07:24.610 --> 00:07:28.370 can actually have a two -week supply of medication. 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:33.300 regularly used medical supplies, a list of allergies, 00:07:33.579 --> 00:07:36.959 a list of the style, serial number, and manufacturer 00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:39.699 information of required medical devices. Now, 00:07:39.740 --> 00:07:41.899 of course, that's in case you need to replace 00:07:41.899 --> 00:07:45.500 them. And you can find a replacement, or FEMA 00:07:45.500 --> 00:07:48.899 can help you acquire a replacement while you're 00:07:48.899 --> 00:07:53.069 at one of the shelters. But also batteries, flashlights 00:07:53.069 --> 00:07:56.430 do not use candles. That's how fires happen. 00:07:56.910 --> 00:08:00.170 NOAA weather radio battery, battery operated 00:08:00.170 --> 00:08:03.250 or hand cranked. These are between $10 and $20, 00:08:03.389 --> 00:08:06.870 relatively inexpensive little weather radios. 00:08:06.990 --> 00:08:11.209 And they're really great for information during 00:08:11.209 --> 00:08:13.629 the storm. We're assuming that the power goes 00:08:13.629 --> 00:08:16.110 out, which is very common when you're in a hurricane. 00:08:16.470 --> 00:08:19.310 Cash, because the banks and ATMs would be out 00:08:19.310 --> 00:08:22.699 of power. and you may not be able to get cash 00:08:22.699 --> 00:08:26.779 after the storm or use a credit card. Cell phone 00:08:26.779 --> 00:08:30.040 chargers, books, games, puzzles, other activities 00:08:30.040 --> 00:08:33.679 for children, and, of course, something for the... 00:08:33.980 --> 00:08:37.460 for the kittens and puppies and animals to play 00:08:37.460 --> 00:08:39.519 with as well. Now, I'm looking there on the screen 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:42.840 where it says important documents, insurance 00:08:42.840 --> 00:08:45.659 cards, medical records. One thing that I would 00:08:45.659 --> 00:08:50.019 also recommend including is the name of your 00:08:50.019 --> 00:08:53.879 pet's veterinarian. It actually has that somewhere. 00:08:55.930 --> 00:08:59.149 Name of the vet, and if your pet has any medical 00:08:59.149 --> 00:09:01.490 conditions or allergies, you would want to list. 00:09:01.769 --> 00:09:03.470 It's actually at the bottom of the list here. 00:09:04.909 --> 00:09:07.889 Pet food, water to last at least seven days. 00:09:08.009 --> 00:09:09.809 Medical records, beautiful. Medical records, 00:09:10.009 --> 00:09:13.690 microchip information, carrier or cage, muzzle 00:09:13.690 --> 00:09:17.389 and leash. because again you might be in a concentrated 00:09:17.389 --> 00:09:21.309 area of humanity and other animals and you want 00:09:21.309 --> 00:09:24.029 them and your animal to be safe so when you think 00:09:24.029 --> 00:09:26.149 oh i would never muzzle my animal it would never 00:09:26.149 --> 00:09:30.210 hurt anyone under emergency circumstances anyone 00:09:30.210 --> 00:09:33.850 human or animal's personality can change in an 00:09:33.850 --> 00:09:36.629 instant absolutely they feel threatened they 00:09:36.629 --> 00:09:39.389 feel out of their element everything is new and 00:09:39.389 --> 00:09:42.389 strange to them and especially when there's a 00:09:42.389 --> 00:09:47.519 lot of a lot of stimulation going on, that muzzle 00:09:47.519 --> 00:09:51.100 may be a lifesaver. So also water and food bowls, 00:09:51.220 --> 00:09:53.740 medications, supplies for your service animal. 00:09:53.799 --> 00:09:55.500 A carrier or a pet crate. Yep, it says it right 00:09:55.500 --> 00:09:59.460 there. And other specialty needs items for the 00:09:59.460 --> 00:10:01.919 elderly, infants, small children, family members 00:10:01.919 --> 00:10:04.860 with disabilities, rain gear, jackets, boots, 00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:08.120 umbrellas, rain boots, sturdy shoes or boots, 00:10:08.220 --> 00:10:11.899 and work gloves. I never would have thought of 00:10:11.899 --> 00:10:14.779 gloves after a hurricane, but you never know 00:10:14.779 --> 00:10:17.539 what's been blown off of your house or onto your 00:10:17.539 --> 00:10:22.059 house or into your windows, and especially if 00:10:22.059 --> 00:10:24.559 glass gets shattered. Those word gloves are going 00:10:24.559 --> 00:10:26.320 to help. They're going to be important. Now, 00:10:26.460 --> 00:10:28.879 another thing to consider when preparing for 00:10:28.879 --> 00:10:32.159 any type of emergency, especially a natural disaster, 00:10:32.740 --> 00:10:35.700 most likely in your area there will be shelters 00:10:35.700 --> 00:10:39.159 set up. It's important to find out whether or 00:10:39.159 --> 00:10:42.100 not your pets are accepted at those shelters. 00:10:42.179 --> 00:10:44.620 Some shelters will accept them. Some shelters 00:10:44.620 --> 00:10:47.500 will not. That's important information to know 00:10:47.500 --> 00:10:50.279 ahead of time. It's also important, and this 00:10:50.279 --> 00:10:52.200 is something a lot of people don't think of, 00:10:52.730 --> 00:10:58.129 If you require medical equipment that needs electricity 00:10:58.129 --> 00:11:01.210 to run, you need to make sure that you're registered 00:11:01.210 --> 00:11:04.769 with your electric company. Yes. Because what 00:11:04.769 --> 00:11:06.190 that does is that... You'll be one of the first 00:11:06.190 --> 00:11:10.049 people that they restore power to. Correct. If 00:11:10.049 --> 00:11:12.970 they can. If you need assistance evacuating, 00:11:12.990 --> 00:11:15.570 you need to let the city know that so that they 00:11:15.570 --> 00:11:18.230 can have someone there to help you. These are 00:11:18.230 --> 00:11:20.129 important things to take into consideration. 00:11:20.129 --> 00:11:22.740 Well, they sure are. And the other thing, too, 00:11:22.820 --> 00:11:26.379 is a list of places that do boarding in emergencies 00:11:26.379 --> 00:11:30.860 for pets. A lot of you would think your veterinarian 00:11:30.860 --> 00:11:32.779 would be the first place to contact, and a lot 00:11:32.779 --> 00:11:35.220 of them can't. A lot of them will not do that 00:11:35.220 --> 00:11:37.100 because there won't be anyone there. Yeah, and 00:11:37.100 --> 00:11:39.679 it's important to also ask those boarding facilities 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:41.940 when you're screening them ahead of time because 00:11:41.940 --> 00:11:45.500 prior planning prevents poor performance, to 00:11:45.500 --> 00:11:48.940 ask them if they're in an evacuation zone, if 00:11:48.940 --> 00:11:53.419 they're in a flood zone. if they have a generator, 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:56.840 if they're going to have electricity, and just 00:11:56.840 --> 00:12:00.740 what their emergency plans are going to be before 00:12:00.740 --> 00:12:03.779 you then put your loved one, your animal, into 00:12:03.779 --> 00:12:06.840 their care. And if you have any questions about 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:10.480 how to find that information or what shelters 00:12:10.480 --> 00:12:13.460 would accept pets, I would encourage you to reach 00:12:13.460 --> 00:12:15.519 out to your local humane society. They're going 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:17.639 to have that information available. They sure 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:20.899 will. They sure will. and another document that 00:12:20.899 --> 00:12:24.080 we have. This first one, as I said, was from 00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:28.120 the Florida Department of Emergency Management. 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:32.360 The second one I have here is from the National 00:12:32.360 --> 00:12:34.740 Weather Service, hurricane safety for you and 00:12:34.740 --> 00:12:37.320 your family. Again, I'm providing links below 00:12:37.320 --> 00:12:39.919 this to all of these documents. They're downloadable, 00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:43.159 and they have information on before a hurricane, 00:12:43.440 --> 00:12:47.149 during a hurricane. After a hurricane if you're 00:12:47.149 --> 00:12:49.590 not ordered to evacuate if you are ordered to 00:12:49.590 --> 00:12:53.779 evacuate It just basically gives you information 00:12:53.779 --> 00:12:57.240 that you're going to need to be able to follow 00:12:57.240 --> 00:13:00.379 and stay safe. And that's the whole idea is to 00:13:00.379 --> 00:13:03.120 keep you and your family safe. And the more planning 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:05.879 and preparation that you do ahead of time, the 00:13:05.879 --> 00:13:08.779 less of a panic it is, the less of a concern 00:13:08.779 --> 00:13:11.879 it is, because you already know, well, if it 00:13:11.879 --> 00:13:14.399 gets to this point, if it gets to this close 00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:17.700 proximity to our house, we have the house prepared, 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:21.100 it's battened down. And we know that we have 00:13:21.100 --> 00:13:24.360 a full tank of gas in our vehicles. We have carriers 00:13:24.360 --> 00:13:27.000 for our pets, all the supplies that we need for 00:13:27.000 --> 00:13:30.559 us and our animals. And we can get out of here 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:32.980 for a while. Yeah. And one thing that I would 00:13:32.980 --> 00:13:38.259 also encourage is if you have a pet that can 00:13:38.259 --> 00:13:42.980 be microchipped, I know some people don't support 00:13:42.980 --> 00:13:47.899 that. It's important. That microchip can be the 00:13:47.899 --> 00:13:50.100 difference between you getting your pet back 00:13:50.100 --> 00:13:53.000 and not if you get separated. The other thing 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:56.320 too, a lot of people get their pets microchipped 00:13:56.320 --> 00:13:58.700 and then they don't register a phone number with 00:13:58.700 --> 00:14:06.289 it. And that kind of defeats the purpose. If 00:14:06.289 --> 00:14:09.269 you are preparing for an emergency, it's always 00:14:09.269 --> 00:14:12.330 a good idea to contact your pet's veterinarian 00:14:12.330 --> 00:14:16.509 and find out who the chip is licensed through 00:14:16.509 --> 00:14:18.529 and make sure that your information is up to 00:14:18.529 --> 00:14:20.889 date with them. Absolutely. We all need good 00:14:20.889 --> 00:14:23.629 information to help make the most informed decisions 00:14:23.629 --> 00:14:26.690 to live life on our own terms. The conversation 00:14:26.690 --> 00:14:28.570 is to start you thinking because most people 00:14:28.570 --> 00:14:31.620 are not prepared at all. Some are very well prepared 00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:34.500 indeed because they join us right here on the 00:14:34.500 --> 00:14:37.039 Light Keepers podcast every Wednesday evening 00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:41.639 at 7 p .m. Eastern. And the Light Keepers podcast 00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:44.500 is an exclusive production of Vanimation Studios 00:14:44.500 --> 00:14:47.480 and The Guiding Light and is found on all audio 00:14:47.480 --> 00:14:51.740 RSS podcast feeds and also on YouTube. Yes, you 00:14:51.740 --> 00:14:54.379 are. This is our little foster kitten that is 00:14:54.379 --> 00:14:56.220 with us from the Jacksonville Humane Society. 00:14:56.480 --> 00:14:59.669 This is Nugget. And Nugget will be available 00:14:59.669 --> 00:15:03.470 for adoption soon. Right now he is waiting until 00:15:03.470 --> 00:15:08.070 he's big enough to be neutered. And so he is 00:15:08.070 --> 00:15:11.450 staying with us temporarily. And we have thoroughly 00:15:11.450 --> 00:15:13.629 enjoyed having him here. He's such a sweetheart. 00:15:13.850 --> 00:15:16.870 And for all of you who are listening on the audio 00:15:16.870 --> 00:15:19.769 feed, this is a tiny little, barely bigger than 00:15:19.769 --> 00:15:23.080 a handful kitten. That was just fairly newborn 00:15:23.080 --> 00:15:27.220 when he came to us. And, yep, there he is. He 00:15:27.220 --> 00:15:31.299 is mostly white, a little bit of yellow tabby. 00:15:31.340 --> 00:15:34.580 He's an orange tabby torty. Yeah, an orange tabby 00:15:34.580 --> 00:15:41.159 torty. And very, very cute and bright and steals 00:15:41.159 --> 00:15:43.320 the show any time he gets in front of the camera. 00:15:43.639 --> 00:15:49.799 So, speaking of stealing the show. If you would 00:15:49.799 --> 00:15:53.320 like to help us with theguidinglight .org and 00:15:53.320 --> 00:15:55.860 make a tax -deductible contribution, the address 00:15:55.860 --> 00:15:59.220 is right below us here on the screen. And we're 00:15:59.220 --> 00:16:01.419 so grateful for that support. Speaking of that, 00:16:01.460 --> 00:16:03.860 hit the like and subscribe buttons. It is free, 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:06.960 so you'll catch every single episode. He's slowing 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:10.799 down. He's getting ready for nap time. So you'll 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:14.240 catch every single episode. And I'm Clayton Vandiver, 00:16:14.360 --> 00:16:19.309 your light keeper. We'll see you next time. Thanks 00:16:19.309 --> 00:16:20.389 for watching!