Will Your Pets be Safe When Disaster Strikes?

American Humane Association
Wednesday, 25 September 2002

Will your pets be safe when disaster strikes? Will you be prepared to take them with you when an evacuation order is issued? American Humane is asking pet owners and ranchers to prepare themselves and their four-legged companions for the worst.

"When evacuation is ordered, it's too late to figure out what to do with family pets or livestock," says Ben Drotar, American Humane's director of Red Star Emergency Services. "We want to encourage pet owners and ranchers to prepare now, before it's too late, so that they are not forced to leave their animals behind. If it is unsafe for you to remain in your home, it is equally unsafe for your animals."

American Humane has developed these recommendations for pet owners to consider before disaster strikes:

• Create a family evacuation plan that includes taking your pet with you.


• Create a list of boarding facilities within a 100-mile radius of your home. Identify nearby hotels that accept pets and under what circumstances.


• Ask your local animal shelter if it has an evacuation plan for animals, and if it can care for your specific type of pet during an emergency.


• Provide your pet with a current ID tag. Include your pet's name, your telephone number, an out-of-state contact name and number, current address, and any special medical needs of your pet.


• Keep a current photo of your pet to prove ownership if you are separated.


• Keep records of your pet's vaccinations in case you have to board your pet or leave the state.


• Purchase a portable carrier large enough for your pet to stand up and turn around in.


• Create or purchase an animal first aid kit.


• Place leashes, extra ID tags, water, food, medications, health records, and a photo of your pet in a pillowcase or duffel bag for easy carrying.

Livestock are affected by disasters as well. Before disaster strikes, make sure to:

• Create a list of neighbors within a 100-mile radius of your home willing to board your livestock if you are forced to evacuate.


• Form agreements with neighboring ranches and farms to help each other with disaster preparation and evacuations.


• Know organizations in your area that are prepared to rescue and house displaced livestock.


• Establish an evacuation plan involving family and neighbors for animals in barns and outlying buildings.


• Have a supply of feed at a separate location, which could be air dropped if the animals become stranded.


• Make up a kit with leads, halters, equine and bovine first aid kits, quieting hoods for easy transport, and water.


• Keep photos and a copy of your ownership papers or brands with you at all times in case you are separated from the livestock.

Founded in 1877, American Humane is the nation's only organization dedicated to both child and animal protection. American Humane provides national leadership in the development of programs, policies, and services on behalf of children and animals who are abused and neglected. American Humane has provided disaster relief since 1916 when it was asked by the U.S. government to form the Red Star Emergency Animal Relief program to care animals for used in World War I. Today, American Humane's relief efforts focus on domestic disasters through the Red Star Emergency Services program.

For more information, or to contact American Humane Association, see their website at: www.americanhumane.org