home > livestock & pets Why Have a Farm Disaster Plan? For most Americans, disaster is something we see on the evening news; yet preparing a farm disaster plan can help you prevent suffering that could occur should disaster strike your area.
Courtesy iStockphoto/ThinkstockIt's a farm best practice to have an disaster plan in place should an emergency (be it fire, storm or something else) happen.
Although the word “disaster” usually implies big events, disasters can also be personal events, like a house or barn fire, or local events, like a chemical spill. For those of us living in rural communities, it’s especially important that we be prepared because community services are often limited, and local responders—like police, fire and medical personnel—could be many miles away or quickly overwhelmed by the scope of a major disaster.
Farm Disaster: A Hard Lesson LearnedLaurie Glauth is a rancher outside of Woodland Park, Colo. In the summer of 2002, she learned many hard lessons about disaster when the 137,000-acre Hayman fire burned through her ranch.
“I didn’t realize it, but the bulls got separated from some of the cows while they were out on the range during the breeding season, so we ended up with a bunch of late calves,” Glauth says. “Typically, the cattle should have been out [on a forest service allotment] on June 1, but we were running a week or two behind, so when the fire broke out, we were just branding at the ranch.” “The day that the fire broke out, we could see those huge white clouds rising straight up in the blue sky,” Glauth says. “We didn’t know what was going on until later that evening when we saw it on the news.”
Prepare Your Farm for the WorstOne of the best ways to be prepared is to develop a disaster plan before disaster strikes. “You don’t want to be thinking about what you’re going to do in an emergency situation for the first time, as that crisis is occurring,” says Lara Shane, spokesperson for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the lead federal agency for emergency response.
Have a plan.Have a disaster supply kit. During a disaster, listen to your local emergency managers. These officials will help guide you safely through a crisis. If you have pets or livestock, make sure your plan addresses their needs.
Rely on Yourself, Not GovernmentUltimately, government emergency personnel will try to help, but it’s up to you to protect yourself in the case of an emergency. Plan ahead to assess and address the risks, and take actions to reduce risks. For example, if you live in a wildfire zone, provide defensible space by thinning brush and trees around your home and barn. If you live in a flooding area, obtain flood insurance. If you live in a tornado belt, construct a tornado shelter. Your county emergency response personnel or local fire department can help you define your vulnerabilities, but it is really up to you to take the steps to protect yourself, your family, your property and your future.
This article first appeared in the June/July 2003 issue of Hobby Farms magazine. Tweet
Give us your opinion onWhy Have a Farm Disaster Plan?
a', Houston, TXPosted: 9/22/2013 7:21:00 AM
I concur. Post-Katrina, I don't rely on the government for anything. Still working on farm contingency plans...Stupid question, is it possible to build a barn that is also a tornado shelter? I think it would be worth the cost in reducing my mental anguish alone. Saw a bunch of injured cows after the '99 Norman OK tornado and it broke my heart
Debi, Saginaw, TXPosted: 5/17/2012 5:42:24 PM
I agree with the idea of being self sufficent and not relying on the government. We are working towards that ideal and enjoyed the article to help evaluate things not thought of. Thanks
Reggie, Stevenson, ALPosted: 1/11/2011 2:38:17 PM
great ideas for all of us.
Mary, Leoti, KSPosted: 7/26/2009 10:03:16 AM
home > livestock & pets Why Have a Farm Disaster Plan? For most Americans, disaster is something we see on the evening news; yet preparing a farm disaster plan can help you prevent suffering that could occur should disaster strike your area.
Courtesy iStockphoto/ThinkstockIt's a farm best practice to have an disaster plan in place should an emergency (be it fire, storm or something else) happen.
Although the word “disaster” usually implies big events, disasters can also be personal events, like a house or barn fire, or local events, like a chemical spill. For those of us living in rural communities, it’s especially important that we be prepared because community services are often limited, and local responders—like police, fire and medical personnel—could be many miles away or quickly overwhelmed by the scope of a major disaster.
Farm Disaster: A Hard Lesson LearnedLaurie Glauth is a rancher outside of Woodland Park, Colo. In the summer of 2002, she learned many hard lessons about disaster when the 137,000-acre Hayman fire burned through her ranch.
“I didn’t realize it, but the bulls got separated from some of the cows while they were out on the range during the breeding season, so we ended up with a bunch of late calves,” Glauth says. “Typically, the cattle should have been out [on a forest service allotment] on June 1, but we were running a week or two behind, so when the fire broke out, we were just branding at the ranch.” “The day that the fire broke out, we could see those huge white clouds rising straight up in the blue sky,” Glauth says. “We didn’t know what was going on until later that evening when we saw it on the news.”
Prepare Your Farm for the WorstOne of the best ways to be prepared is to develop a disaster plan before disaster strikes. “You don’t want to be thinking about what you’re going to do in an emergency situation for the first time, as that crisis is occurring,” says Lara 
Shane, spokesperson for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the lead federal agency for emergency response.
Have a plan.Have a disaster supply kit. During a disaster, listen to your local emergency managers. These officials will help guide you safely through a crisis. If you have pets or livestock, make sure your plan addresses their needs.
Rely on Yourself, Not GovernmentUltimately, government emergency personnel will try to help, but it’s up to you to protect yourself in the case of an emergency. Plan ahead to assess and address the risks, and take actions to reduce risks. For example, if you live in a wildfire zone, provide defensible space by thinning brush and trees around your home and barn. If you live in a flooding area, obtain flood insurance. If you live in a tornado belt, construct a tornado shelter. Your county emergency response personnel or local fire department can help you define your vulnerabilities, but it is really up to you to take the steps to protect yourself, your family, your property and your future.
This article first appeared in the June/July 2003 issue of Hobby Farms magazine. Tweet
Give us your opinion onWhy Have a Farm Disaster Plan?
a', Houston, TXPosted: 9/22/2013 7:21:00 AM
I concur. Post-Katrina, I don't rely on the government for anything. Still working on farm contingency plans...Stupid question, is it possible to build a barn that is also a tornado shelter? I think it would be worth the cost in reducing my mental anguish alone. Saw a bunch of injured cows after the '99 Norman OK tornado and it broke my heart
Debi, Saginaw, TXPosted: 5/17/2012 5:42:24 PM
I agree with the idea of being self sufficent and not relying on the government. We are working towards that ideal and enjoyed the article to help evaluate things not thought of. Thanks
Reggie, Stevenson, ALPosted: 1/11/2011 2:38:17 PM
great ideas for all of us.
Mary, Leoti, KSPosted: 7/26/2009 10:03:16 AM