Ready?

This year's hurricane season isn't even two weeks old and we already have a named storm churning.

Arlene

Arlene isn't going to turn into a hurricane according to the reports but if she did and was headed smack at you, are you ready?

I'm not.

Then again, I never feel like I am. Either I've forgotten one tiny little yet extremely critical item (Like the year I realized it didn't matter how many canned goods we had on hand if the power's out and the only can opener is electric?) or wondering while remembering something I hadn't realized the year before but had now taken care of, what new thing would pop up this year.

The American Red Cross has great information. If you're not already familiar with it, bookmark the sites.

Pets? They have suggestions for them, too.

Those are the basics.

Something that came in very handy last year was a little portable, battery-operated television set. Instead of trying to imagine the projected path of a tornado based upon the information provided over the radio by the National Weather Service, the local television stations made it possible to actually see it.

. . . okay, that's that road and that's that street and we're here and IT's there headed in THAT direction so . . . WHEW!

Pets, and I can't stress this enough. If you have to go to a shelter, your pets can't go in with you. They're not allowed. Period.

The Red Cross suggests:

Decide where you might take your pet if it becomes necessary to leave your home during an emergency. Places you could contact are:

Boarding kennels
Veterinary hospitals with boarding facilities
Friends and relatives
Motels which allow pets

Plan early, book ahead especially with the first two. Especially the second one. Calling at the last minute demanding that space be made for your beloved "Fluffy" isn't going to make one bit of difference if not only all of their kennel space is already taken, but every inch of floor space is also crammed with animal-filled crates, too.

(As a personal aside, I strongly suggest the latter two. If the weather is so bad that you're evacuating, those who would normally be caring for your animals in the first two are facing the same weather and possibly / probably also in an evacuation situation themselves. Expecting them to risk their lives for your little "Fluffy," in my eyes, makes you a complete and total self-centered jackass. And dumb.)

So I guess we're ready for this year's hurricane season, or as ready as we can be at this point.