Make pet care part of disaster preparedness
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By Ann Holland
Published: October 27, 2008
The United States has made great strides in disaster preparedness since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Happily, pets and service animals are being included in the planning process at both state and local levels.
According to Wayne Pacelle, president of The Humane Society of the United States, “Katrina … highlighted the remarkable bond between this nation and our pets and service animals, and the need for public policy to echo that appreciation of animals.”
My trip to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina made this painfully clear.
New Orleans, 2005
It was immediately apparent upon our arrival in New Orleans that the situation was dire. A co-worker and I traveled to the devastated area in order to assist with the animal rescue team at the MuttShack Animal Rescue Foundation’s temporary animal shelter housed at Lake Castle School. Every day the search and rescue teams went out, and every day (and into the night) they returned with starving, wounded and dying animals.
MuttShack set up shop as a triage center, providing emergency medical care before carefully shipping animals out to safer, more stable environments. The ultimate goal (for all animal rescue groups) was to reunite pets with their families. Each reunion was a blessed and emotional event. These families lost everything; to find their beloved pets gave them hope again.
Our daily routine was never dull. Yes, there were dogs to be walked, litter boxes to be cleaned and medications to administer. But we were constantly dealing with crises: a dog found tied to a kitchen table miraculously survived the hurricane but was starving, dehydrated and had a gaping neck wound from struggling against its rope; a snake balled up so tightly that we could not determine at first if it was alive; a sickly young mom cat and her one surviving kitten. The work was long, hard and tremendously fulfilling.
There were happy stories, too. A beautiful rescued hen laid an egg for us every morning. A family warily returned to their home to find their dog still alive, having survived on dried beans for weeks after the dog food ran out. We even performed a victory dance when a severely constipated Siamese cat had her first bowel movement in many, many days! And then there were the much needed snuggle sessions when we could spare the time — many of these pets needed to be comforted and re-socialized after such harrowing ordeals.
The experience was life-changing for all animal rescue volunteers. My co-worker’s heart was won over by a neurologically impaired German Shepherd dog. One of the vets adopted a male cat with no appetite. And I returned with the two above-mentioned cats — both calicos — who needed to be isolated right away as they tested positive for feline leukemia. The opportunity to help such brave and treasured creatures was truly a privilege.
Lynchburg, 2008
This hurricane season was also an exceptionally active and destructive one. Hurricanes Gustav and Ike mercilessly pummeled Louisiana and Texas leaving thousands homeless. This time, however, a larger percentage of the affected areas’ pets survived, thanks to the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006, designed to help ensure that pets and service animals are not left behind in disasters. The bill was introduced in response to the tens of thousands of pets who perished or became homeless as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
While the PETS Act highlights the advances made in disaster preparedness, it is ultimately up to you to protect your own animals. Pets depend solely on their humans for care and should be an integral part of every family’s disaster preparedness plan. Please don’t leave them behind.
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Posted by ( Evelyn ) on October 28, 2008 at 9:10 am
Very thoughtful and well-written article.
I was also involved with animal rescue after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina (in Jackson, MS shelter with EARS, Tylertown shelter & Celebration Station with Best Friends & on the streets of New Orleans with ARNO). The plight of all those helpless, left-behind animals was heartbreaking. Being there and helping save them was the most horrible and at the same time, the most wonderful thing I’ve ever done. And like Ann said, the experience was indeed life-changing. As a direct result, I’ve become very involved and active with disaster response for animals - both nationally with the national animal response groups and locally; it inspired me to co-found the Tri-state County Animal Response Team in the Cincinnati area (www.TriStateCART.com) and become closely involved with the Emergency Managers and Homeland Security Leaders in our area.
“NOT WITHOUT MY PETs” is a slogan that emerged from the Katrina tragedy, describing in 4 short words the concept that was put into law with the P.E.T.S act (Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act), now requiring governments to include animals in their communities’ emergency plans.
As a result, subsequent disasters have had much better outcomes for both the people and animals involved.
I was also active after 2008’s Hurricane’s Gustav and Ike, and saw first-hand the unprecedented numbers of people - and their pets(!) - evacuated out of harm’s way. Thank goodness the government and the people are getting wiser about the importance many place on their 4 legged family members.
NOT WITHOUT MY PETs applies directly to each and every individual too - it’s up to us to be prepared, to assure our pets that they’re included and taken care of in the event of a disaster or emergency. Everyone should have a disaster “GO-KIT” with whatever your pet would need for several days if you had to suddenly evacuate from your home. (There’s a list of suggested items at www.TriStateCART.com.) Plan ahead, have what you need for yourselves and your pets, realize that if you have to leave it’s not safe for them either - please take them with you!
Evelyn in Cincinnati
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