Living in south Florida has its ups and downs. The ups are easy to deal with- lots of beaches, sun, no snow, access to major attractions, etc. The downs are a little harder-hurricanes, shrinking agriculture areas, and hurricanes. Recently, my area of south Florida had the privilege of being ten miles north of where Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Jeanne came ashore. My small herd of ten goats taught me a few lessons before, during, and after the hurricanes. I hope that no readers ever have to experience two hurricanes (or one!), but many of these tips can apply to severe weather of any kind.

          Before the storm, gather needed supplies such as:
Plenty of drinking water stored in closed containers
Three (or more) weeks supply of feed in water and varmint proof containers
First aid kit (including an antibiotic that does not need to be kept cold and a probiotic/stress aid)
Gloves
Extra feed buckets and waterers
Clearly marked collars for each goat in case of escapees, plus extras
A lead for each animal in case of needing to be tied out or led
Bleach
Clean towels (to dry off wet goats and for cleanup)
Baby wipes (for clean up)
If you have hand feeding babies, extra bottles and supplies for them
A phone number of an emergency vet or experienced keeper
All paperwork in a waterproof container with you (registrations, etc)
Emergency fencing repair supplies (extra posts, wire, wire cutters)
A weather resistant flashlight and plenty of batteries
A poncho

          Before the hurricane approaches, de-worm the goats and repeat in three weeks-the rising water table and damp conditions cause parasites to thrive, and contaminated water will be standing all over your pastures! Also, a day or so before the hurricanes, mark the animals well with ID numbers, and the owners phone number at the very least. One option for marking is to shave the numbers and names into the animals fur itself using a short blade-by the time show season comes around, it will have grown out enough to not be noticeable when show clipped. If you don't have time for that, using a permanent marker on the fur is another option-it will wear off eventually, but will stay on long enough for the storm. Also attach a sturdy collar with the same information to the goat. Chances are good that an animal or many may escape due to damaged fencing, and having your contact information on them will make a reunion easier.

          Keep in mind that if you have a well, without power you will not have water for cleanup or to drink. If you have city water, the supplies may be contaminated. Power may take a couple of weeks to be restored (we did ten days and eleven days after the storms with no power), or city water may not be safe for a while, so store more than you think you need. Empty lidded icing buckets are free at most bakeries and work well (for human water also!) A gallon per goat per day (at least two weeks worth) seemed to work out well. Feed needs to be stored in a sturdy area and protected from the elements. I keep mine in galvanized garbage cans. Keep part of the feed, hay and water in a separate place just in case the first area is inaccessible after the storm. Keep a close eye on the feed-the increased humidity will lead to feed getting moldy. Hay needs to be protected -I wrapped the bales in tarps secured with bungee cords in case the roof leaked.

          Leave instructions with neighbors or other help in case you are unable to care for the goats or have to leave the area suddenly. Make arrangements to have somebody check on you and your animals after the storm and offer to do the same for them.

          There are several options for what to do with the goats themselves during the storm. The best option would be to transport everybody out of the danger area. The big problem here is that most of the southern United States is a potential danger area! This option also assumes you have enough advance notice- Hurricane Jeanne only gave us a three day window, barely even enough time to prepare the humans! You also then have to be concerned with evacuation traffic, and the real probability that you will not be able to get back home for a while after the storm. Are you willing to leave your animals in a trailer for possible two weeks?

          The next option is to house everybody in the barn or another suitable structure. The good part of this is that you don't have to move everyone out of the state, they are protected from the winds and rain, and you do not have to worry about downed power lines. The problem is that many barns and other outbuildings do not hold up well in a hurricane. Metal roofs have a discerning tendency to peel off like tin cans- my neighborhood was full of pieces of roofs wrapped around trees and thrown in yards. Wooden roofs come apart or collapse inwards. If you have a barn full of goats, and the roof caves in, well, you can imagine the consequences. The wind also rips off entire plywood sheets and throws them around like playing cards! During Hurricane Jeanne, one blast of wind went so far as to rip a sheet of plywood over our sliding glass door out of the side of the house, taking the concrete chunks out with the bolts!

          Our outbuildings were weak and we did not think they would stay standing, so during Hurricane Frances I tried keeping half the herd in (no laughter please) a bathroom in the house. I figured the house was safer, and this way they were where I could watch them. I quickly found a huge problem with leaving the goats locked in a small area- there was no power for lights, so they were fighting and stampeding at every little tree that hit the roof. There was also no power for air conditioning or fans-and goats put out body heat. All windows had to be boarded up, so there was no air circulation. Hurricanes do not just come and go-Hurricane Frances stayed around for over 36 hours! 36 hours locked in a dark stuffy hot room, and the door is wide open to respiratory infections, stress, bloat, you name it! Finding veteranary care or supplies is tricky at best with bad weather. If you leave a window open for circulation, you are compromising the stability of the structure and its ability to withstand the winds. A branch can easily break an unprotected window, causing flying glass and leaving shards on the floor to be stepped on and knelt on.

          Another pitfall to locking everybody in the barn/outbuilding is that you may not be able to get to them immediately. You may have to evacuate your house suddenly, a piece of someone's barn may wedge itself against the door, or trees may fall in your way. If you have dairy animals that need twice daily milking, or babies that need hand feeding, there will be complications. Also, the heavy rains may flood the barn and/or access to it. With all the water, there will be plenty of other animals looking for high ground- including snakes! If your barn has electricity, unplug everything and turn off all breakers to the barn-leaking roofs, windows and doors can easily start an electrical fire and your goats would not be able to escape. No fire truck can move during a hurricane either!

          The next option is to leave everybody out in the pastures. The biggest danger during the storm is the goats being impaled/struck by flying debris. Keeping all pastures free of anything that can be picked up and flung will aid in preventing this. Definition of "can be picked up and flung" means that if you can pick it up or push it over, so can the wind! Before the storm, move everything moveable inside-including waterers, feed buckets, portable shelters all broken branches, etc. Anything you cannot move, chain or strap down. Fill it with water if possible to add weight. Leave nothing in the pasture except trees and goats! This brings us to another danger -falling trees. There is a chance of a goat being struck by a falling tree, although trees are loud when they break and the goats usually have time to move. Flying branches are a little harder to deal with. During part of the hurricanes, the goats hid in the palmetto bushes in our pasture and I had no injuries (thank goodness!) from flying debris. Leaving a clump of resilient vegetation in the pasture will aid the goats in escaping the wind. The goats will band together behind anything that can be used as a windbreak. One option would be to leave the door open to their nighttime shelter (if it has a door) and let them choose where to go. Tie or nail the door open securely so that it does not flap in the wind. This does have the danger of the shelter collapsing-but hopefully the goat(s) can escape out of the door. If there is a building nearby, the goats will use it as shelter against the wind.

          If you are forced to leave the area suddenly, I would recommend leaving the goats out in the pasture. If you have to leave chances are good you will not be back for several days. In the pasture the goats can forage and obtain water, locked in a building they cannot. Goats are amazingly resilient creatures!

One big problem we encountered after the storm was fencing failures. We have wire woven with wooden posts for our fencing. Parts of the fencing had trees fall on it, making nice little goat ramps for the escapees to wander the neighborhood. Posts were damaged by trees flinging off their branches, leaving the fence hanging on the ground. Fencing material was in short supply (not to mention gasoline!), luckily we have alternate pens that withstood the hurricane and we were able to obtain metal posts to reinforce the failed wooden posts. The broken fencing was also a concern due to downed power lines-being in a rural area means the power company will take longer to pick up the lines, and the danger of electrocution is real. I had considered the possibility of the girls getting loose, and had prepared collars clearly marked with their name, our address, and contact phone numbers. Permanent markers are great for this!

          During both storms our goats behaved normally-walking around the pasture grazing, even trying to breed each other! Once the rain got strong, they found shelter from the wind and lay down to chew their cuds! During the eye they were all standing at the gate asking for food, wet but otherwise fine. I ended up letting everyone out of the pasture to come up by the house, they used the house as a windbreak some of the time. After the storm, the girls highly enjoyed the bounty of new vegetation brought within their reaches! You will probably find that the goats handle the hurricane and its aftermath better than you do.

          After the storm, examine everyone for any injuries and treat as necessary. Dry off any wet goats, milk out any dairy animals. If you have a pond or other standing water, try and keep the goats away from it-the runoff is contaminated with fecal matter and chemicals that the goats are not used to and can lead to illness. Keep an eye out for bloat as the goats feast on fallen trees and vegetation. If your fencing is compromised, make necessary arrangements so the herd does not escape. Keep a close eye out for displaced wild animals (snakes, bobcats, etc). Try and keep the normal schedule for feeding and care to minimize the stress on the animals (and trust me, it will help your stress level also!).

          Hopefully you will never have the experience of a hurricane; but if you do, I hope that this advice helps! Above all, keep you and your family safe-you cannot help your animals if you yourself are hurt.