They had prepared
Before severe November 2021 flooding near Mount Vernon, Washington, David and Lucinda Baumgardner’s family prepared elevated livestock refuge areas and extra feed. Their dairy farm had experienced floods before.
Reporting by Daisy Zavala of The Seattle Times described how the flood nevertheless overwhelmed their arrangements. Cows escaped a refuge area after rising water apparently disabled an electric fence. Family members tried to return animals to higher ground until conditions became too dangerous.
The family lost 44 cows. Their preparation did not prevent a devastating loss.
Care continued after the flood
The same report described neighboring farmers helping with cleanup and offering feed. The Baumgardners faced damaged facilities and the continuing work of getting surviving animals clean and dry.
Their experience deserves more than a simple success-or-failure label. They had responsibilities, they took steps, and they encountered conditions beyond what they had previously experienced.
This account is not an invitation to enter floodwater to retrieve animals. The danger to family members was part of the tragedy, not a practice to imitate.
Make the animal plan part of the household plan
For readers with pets or livestock, this story raises questions worth discussing before a warning arrives.
Where can animals go, and how early must movement begin? Who can help transport or handle them? What happens if a fence, road, power supply, or feed delivery fails? Is there a second destination if the first is threatened?
Work through those questions with knowledgeable local people and the professionals who care for your animals. Decide in advance when human safety requires withdrawing.
Plans need room for conditions worse than the last event. They also need people who can help with the work afterward.
The Baumgardners’ story belongs here because preparedness includes responsibility—and because recovery often depends on neighbors sharing the burden.
J. Carter
Based on the published reporting linked below. Everyday Ready has not interviewed the people featured. Practical reflections are Everyday Ready’s own.