The Garden Grove Western Incident, and what we can learn from it

Here in Orange County, we are in the middle of a hazmat incident that started on Thursday, May 21st. While our home is not affected, we have 2 clients in the area who are affected, and this is a GREAT time to remind everyone about packing “GO” bags.

We talk about packing GO bags for ourselves, but what about our pets?

Here in California, we can have any number of emergency situations - mainly wildfires. Our last major wildfire in Orange County was the Airport Fire, which was September 2024. While we had no client evacuations, we did have friends that needed to evacuate, and QUICKLY. So what happens when you’re traveling, and can’t evacuate your pets safely?

Here at Less Stress Services, you’re covered. In our client portal, once you are a client, you will have access to our “Evacuation Letter”, which you can print, fill out, and sign so we have your permission to show to police and sheriff officers so we can gain access to your home and grab your pets and their GO bags. We follow Orange County Fire Authority, Orange County Sheriff and local fire and police departments to keep an eye on small fires, and larger ones. We subscribe to WatchDuty, which is a wildfire app which shows the start of fires, possible evacuation projections, and current evacuation zones. This hazmat incident in Garden Grove was even listed on WatchDuty.

So… what does your pet need in their GO bag? Here’s the basics:

Obviously, not everything on the list will apply to everyone, but this is a good bare minimum to start with. Make sure you rotate meds and food/water every 6 months - typically when the clocks change is a good time to do it!

A few pro tips:

1. Make sure the pet name and owner contact info is listed on the carrier.

2. Be sure to have a PRINTED photo of your pet - during an emergency, your phone battery may die.

3. Make sure all spare collars and harnesses have owner information.

4. Vaccination records and vet records should be PRINTED and not stored in a phone or tablet.

5. Please make sure your pet’s microchip information is up-to-date.

Not only should you have a GO bag for you and each of your family members, but each pet should have one too.