As winter rains swell creeks and rivers, horse and cattle owners should ready their homes and animals for possible flooding, advises Dr. John Madigan, a UC Davis authority on equine and emergency veterinary medicine who helped rescue animals during Northern California's 1997 floods. First, drainage in corrals should be improved, a central mound built up so that the animals can move to high ground, and fences checked to make sure animals will be secure. Trailers should be hooked up and keys left in the hauling vehicle for immediate evacuation. Clean water and food for people and animals should be stockpiled to last for 72 hours, with feed placed in watertight bags or bins. Flashlights and batteries, a portable phone or radio, horse blankets and leg wraps, as well as a shovel, ax, wire cutters, leather gloves, rain gear and extra clothing should also be in the trailer. Identification tags should be available to clip onto halters, in the event the animals must be left behind or taken to a holding facility. Owners should contact the state Office of Emergency Services or local animal control officials to find out where they can take their animals during flooding. "Don't hesitate to evacuate, but when you go, leave plastic-covered notes nailed to your barn and house doors, indicating to rescue workers where they will find animals," says Madigan, who has organized an emergency response team of 60 UC Davis faculty, staff and students to help rescue livestock during disasters. For a copy of pre-flood instructions, contact the UC Davis Center for Equine Health at (530) 752-6433.