As I’m writing this, I am listening to the news reports that are tracking the wildfires threatening southern California. Right now hundreds of homes in San Diego county have been destroyed and at this moment, more than a quarter million people have been evacuated. Unfortunately, it will probably continue to get worse for at least a few more days as no rain is predicted and the winds are still strong.

Since the San Diego Cedar fire of 2004 and the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, some things have gotten better. Communications between emergency officials is much better and pets are now allowed to be brought to evacuation shelters. But, wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes and floods are still disasters that take lives – human and animal – and these disasters will disrupt our lives for a long time to come.

Many rescue groups have focused on rescuing dogs and cats and other organizations will catch and transport horses, cattle, llamas and other livestock. Very few people, however, think about reptiles and amphibians. During the Cedar fire, I set up as many cages as I had available in my garage and then notified the local television channels and shelters that I could take in refugee reptiles and amphibians. I ended up with snakes, lizards of many species, frogs, and newts. I also took in rabbits, ferrets, and several guinea pigs simply because most of the shelters were not set up to deal with these pets. Although many of these pets only stayed with me for a few days, some remained for a few weeks as their owners’ homes were destroyed by the flames. I am expecting the same to happen with the pets I’m taking in right now that have been evacuated from the Witch fire and the seven other fires burning in San Diego county.

There is very little you can do to stop a wildfire such as the 2004 Cedar fire or today’s Witch fire; these are fire storms that can move as fast as 30 to 40 miles per hour, destroying everything in their path. However, you can make plans ahead of time so that you and your herp pets can get out as safely and quickly as possible.

Caging. The lovely, roomy display cages your herps live in are probably much too large to be readily moved. It’s important to keep a supply of small, light weight cages that can be used to evacuate your pets. You may have a supply of plastic shoe or sweater boxes (with air holes, of course) that you put your pet in while you clean his cage or while you feed him; these would work fine as temporary mobile cages.

Just make sure you have enough of these containers to house all of your pets and that they are readily available. You probably won’t have the time to go searching for them in the garage or storage shed.

Have a roll of duct tape available, too, to make sure the lids are securely fastened. With a felt tip marker, write a description of the pet on the duct tape. “Charlie, red corn snake” is sufficient although you may wish to post additional information if the herp will bite, is aggressive, or dangerous. Not only will this aid you in taking care of your pets, but should someone else need to assist you, they will know what to expect when opening the container. Some of the pets I have taken in have been in unmarked containers and when I open it, I have no idea whether I’ll find a friendly corn snake or a grumpy reticulated python.

Transportation. I drive a big, full size cargo van. It doesn’t get the best gas mileage but it will easily transport all of our pets as well as the belongings my husband and I would take with us in an emergency. The van also has plenty of power; when we helped a friend evacuate herself and her husband, as well as their belongings and pets, I ended up driving over sidewalks and going across landscaped yards.

Will your vehicle hold all your herps and their mobile cages as well as your belongings? Don’t assume that it will; test this one day by gathering together all these cages and containers and stacking them in your car. Figure out how many can fit in the back seat. Or, will the back seat fold down so that you can also use the trunk area? Will you need some bungee cords or rope to keep the cages secure?

Heat. Our cold blooded pets are, for the most part, dependant upon their environment for the heat to keep their bodily processes working as they should. It’s vitally important that heat be provided during any evacuation although if you’re evacuating due to a cold weather emergency, such as a blizzard, this is even more important.

The hand warmers used by campers and hunters can be very effective for providing heat for three or four hours. These can be found at any store that has camping or hunting supplies. Just activate the heater, put it in a sock so that the herp won’t get too hot, and put it in the container with your pet.

If you have enough time during evacuation, toss any heaters, heat lamps, under cage heaters, extension cords or other supplies in your car. When you reach your destination, you may have access to electricity.

Food and Water. Luckily, many herps can go for a few days without food. If your herp was recently fed, you may be able to take him and run without worrying about what to feed him. If your pet needs to eat on a daily basis, however, make sure you grab a small container of wax worms, crickets or a jar of baby food. Take from your home what your pet needs; don’t expect to find it at your destination.

Water is much more important to most herps than is water; many species will dehydrate quite rapidly without water. Depending upon what species of herps you have and how sensitive they are, you may need to grab a few bottles of water to bring with you.

Where Will You Go? When my husband and I were forced to evacuate during a wildfire a number of years ago, I loaded all our pets (two German Shepherds, two rabbits, two cats, two pet rats, and six herps – including a twelve foot Burmese python) into our truck and took off. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any idea where we would go. We ended up at the local beach where we lived out of our truck for three days. Although the dogs loved it, it made caring for ourselves and our pets difficult.

Since that time I have made sure I always have a plan and a back up plan! Do you have family or friends who will accept you and your pets? Or is there a boarding facility a few miles away that will care for more than just dogs and cats? Ideally, have a back up plan so that should this friend be in danger, too, you have an alternative.

Listen to the News. Although earthquakes never announce themselves and people rarely have more than a few minutes warning of a tornado; hurricanes and blizzards can usually be predicted. Even the path of a wildfire can often be predicted. If you hear of the news of a potential evacuation, start getting ready. If you wait until the fire fighter or police officer knocks on your door, you may have time to save only yourself and your family.