Wildfire evacuation

[Sunshine Flock]

If I may add to this:
When you evacuate, you are one fewer responsibility for those engaged in fighting the fire.
Great news!
Placer? We are off Placer as well!

No way!! You're off Placer?? Neighbors!!!!

 

[bobbi-j]

P.S. I think I mentioned 20,000 bottles of hand soap at each sink at my parents' house. Well, guess what mom bought today!!

Because one can never have enough hand soap!

So glad you're safe! Tornados are terrifying. I remember the drills in elementary school in Ohio.

In MN, it was out in the hall, back against the wall, head down, hands over our heads. (Because that would protect us when the roof fell in?)

View attachment 1488760

I love that one!

They said they got all eleven chickens, including Henry's mini me flock. That leaves our mostly outdoor cat Jasper, who's very smart and savvy and moves with the shadows of night. He has lots of food and water and is probably resting in the deep refrigeration under the deck.

They're taking the flock to a private property in Anderson, where they'll have their own secure coop and covered yard. It's amazing how this all came together. Cowboy 911 was contacted by someone on Twitter last night who saw my tweets. She's a volunteer firefighter in Igo and has been helping with animal rescue.

And someone else, a young college student I think, created a #SavingHenry hashtag and did his own research and found a place for them to be sheltered in Anderson while we wait for the evacuation to lift and determine if our house is inhabitable because of smoke damage.

Just incredible. But boy am I exhausted.

To those helpers! And for you!

 

[Sunshine Flock]

I have skimmed. I didn’t see these two options:
A tote with a section cut out of the lid, and hardware cloth taped on. Get one with wheels if you can. When it’s just a transport, the birds are better off sliding against one another if it means that you can pull the tote behind you quickly.
The second option is similar in away. I use a rolling trashcan at an open pop door to shoo all of the chickens into. In that case, you can only do three or four birds. Of course, that depends on the size of your birds. They need to be able to stand up on the bottom when the can is upright. This idea is especially handy if you need to bug out.

The tote idea is what I was planning to do.

I was going to take two super long, supersized totes, stack them with the top one upside down, drill holes all around where the lips of the containers meet, wrap wire through there to hold them together, saw out the top, drill more holes, attach 1/2" hardware cloth and make a top-entry access door, toss in a bunch of shavings, and that's that. A deluxe whole-flock chicken taxi!

But man that fire moved fast. In anticipation of future fires (God forbid), I'm pre-prepping everything as soon as I get home.

 

[ronott1]

I have skimmed. I didn’t see these two options:
A tote with a section cut out of the lid, and hardware cloth taped on. Get one with wheels if you can. When it’s just a transport, the birds are better off sliding against one another if it means that you can pull the tote behind you quickly.
The second option is similar in away. I use a rolling trashcan at an open pop door to shoo all of the chickens into. In that case, you can only do three or four birds. Of course, that depends on the size of your birds. They need to be able to stand up on the bottom when the can is upright. This idea is especially handy if you need to bug out.

Great ideas!

 

[Folly's place]

Showing my age here; we had 'atomic bomb safety drills'. Even more useless, but it made everyone feel better, or something.
Mary

 

[MROO]

In MN, it was out in the hall, back against the wall, head down, hands over our heads. (Because that would protect us when the roof fell in?)

My Dad swears that "assuming the position" for drills was to give us all a chance to kiss our ... ummm ... posteriors ... goodbye!

 

[Tesumph]

We had houses completely under water here last summer during the unbelievable crazy hurricane flood.
The whole city was practically under water.

My chickens were under water!

I can’t even imagine dealing with wildfires though. This entire thread is a rollercoaster of emotions but I’m just glad everyone is alright.
Henry is a fighter for sure, we need a chicken hall of fame on BYC for such icons.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

So, quick chicken story
When my orthopedist up the road lost his house in this fire, they were completely amazed to see the chicken coop still standing. .. with seemingly unharmed, demanding hens inside. Resilient chickens, my friends!

They lost their house in the Carr Fire, but the coop is still standing with all the pretty ladies waiting inside??? Amazing!!

We were talking about Old Shasta tonight and how the entire town burned down in the 1800s. They rebuilt everything with bricks, had more fires, and those buildings are still standing. I'd love to build an earth bag coop someday for fire resistance and great summer cooling.

 

[MROO]

Showing my age here; we had 'atomic bomb safety drills'. Even more useless, but it made everyone feel better, or something.
Mary

Oh yeah - and a tour of the bomb shelter that would serve as "First Aid Central," should we ever have to cram all 680 of us into the basement.

 

[Mimi13]

Absolutely!
However, sometimes folks in crisis have agendas or considerations that those of us on the outside do not understand.
Not the same situation as the Carr Fire but one of my sisters was in New Orleans during Katrina. She had a "marginal" lifestyle, few resources and dogs that meant the world to her.
She chose not to evacuate when she could, because she could not take her dogs.
When she was airlifted out, her dogs were left behind.

She spent time in the horrible holding area and was then relocated to East Texas.
After some months, a volunteer organization found her dogs, and arranged for them to be reunited with her.

My sideways point is that those of us looking in do not always know why people choose as they do. It is hard and it is sad but we simply do not know.

Many of us on this forum are privileged in quite a few ways, even if we struggle economically or otherwise. We are reasonably educated, have internet access (and that implies all sorts of things that a lot of other people do not have!) and we are able to form relationships, even if they are on-line.

Mr. Rogers said his mama told him "Always look for the helpers.".
I will add, if you do not see a helper, be one.

Oh, Amen, Amen!