A wildfire rages, a hurricane threatens, flood waters are rising-what do you need to consider if you find yourself in one of these situations and you have pets?
- Can you gather all your pets and put them into pet carriers in time? Do you have carriers or leashes for all your pets?
- Are all your pets wearing collars and ID tags with their name, your name, your telephone number, and an emergency telephone number?
- If your cat escapes from a cat carrier and becomes lost, could you provide a photograph?
- Do you know where you can go with your pets in the event of an emergency evacuation? Do you know of any pet-friendly motels nearby? Do you know where your local emergency animal shelter is located?
- Do you have your veterinarian's telephone number on your list of emergency numbers in case your dog or cat becomes ill?
All of these questions become important when faced with a disaster situation. While earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires around the world and in the US have brought attention to the plight of animals in massive natural disasters, disasters can occur on a large community scale or in a single residence. Some of these are:
- Hurricane
- Tornado
- Earthquake
- Flooding
- Wildfire
- Mudslides
- Terrorist attack
- Toxic Chemical spills (industry, highway)
- House fire
- Domestic disputes
- Ruptured gas lines
Any of these could cause a person to leave their home quickly without knowing how soon they can return. Ideally, they should take their pets with them. What would you do if you received a knock on the door and the police were asking you to leave?
The American Veterinary Medical Association brochure, "Saving the Whole Family" provides an in-depth look at what you need to know to prepare and protect the four-legged members of your family in case of disaster.
In particular, you should know:
- Where to go - Remember that most human shelters don’t allow pets.
- What to take - Be sure to take a carrier; leashes; food and water; bowls; health, vaccination (especially Rabies) and licensing records; and any medication your pet may require on a regular basis.
- How to Identify your pet- Your pet should be wearing a collar and tag with your home address and phone number as well as a contact number for someone who will know where you are if you evacuate. Implantable microchips can be read by many animal control officers and veterinarians and may be your pet’s fastest ticket home. It is also helpful to have pictures of your pet so if it were to become lost, you could advertise and prove ownership in the future.
It is not recommended that you leave your pets behind if you are forced to evacuate, but if you must, make sure to leave adequate food and water that they can get to. Sometimes people fail to take their pets with them because they think they will be back the next day, only to find that the authorities will not allow them to return. Make sure your pet has proper identification. Depending on the disaster situation, it is probably best to leave your pet in a safe location inside the home. Never leave your pet tied up outside. This leaves them totally helpless with no chance to protect their selves or to run away from danger. Never leave pet birds alone when you evacuate. They must eat every day or they will die.
There are a number of Government, volunteer and charitable groups that may be involved in disaster situations. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross are two organizations that are primarily involved with rescuing people and fulfilling human needs in disaster situations.
Many other organizations that deal specifically with animal needs exist:
- State and County Animal Response Teams (SART/CART) are community volunteer groups that go through training in animal rescue, first aid, and incident command communication so that they can work with other groups such as the police, fire and rescue teams.
- Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT) are highly trained teams of volunteer veterinarians and veterinary technicians who provide medical assistance to animals in the case of large scale disasters.
Members of these groups are volunteers and typically devote hours every month in training, learning to work together as a team and preparing for emergencies that they hope will never occur.
The most important thing pet owners can do is to think about what might happen and to formulate an emergency preparation plan so that they can respond quickly and efficiently if a disaster should occur. The University of Missouri has prepared a family disaster plan that includes pets that can be found by clicking here.
To view an archived webinar on preparing your pets for disasters, click here.
