Kinship Circle Animal Disaster PREPAREDNESS

IF I LEAVE — THEY LEAVE
Never compromise. They are domesticated animals, helpless without your protection. They are family members.

Boy feeds a dog in a crate.

8/31/08, Union Station, New Orleans: A boy says goodbye to his dog before boarding a bus to an emergency shelter in Shreveport, LA. His family joined the assisted evacuations for Hurricane Gustav at one of 12 “Parish Pickup Points” that let companion animals evacuate — in climate-controlled trucks — to adjacent shelters with their people. Kinship Circle volunteers underwent LSART (Louisiana State Animal Response Team) training to work at pet/people sites for Gustav evacuations.

BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES

Apply high-visibility RESCUE ALERT STICKERS outside your home: Obtain stickers that show A) how many animals, and which species, live in your home; and B) your veterinarian’s name and phone number. If you’ve pre-evacuated with your animals during a disaster, write “EVACUATED” across the stickers.

To get RESCUE ALERT STICKERS for front and back doors or other high-visibility areas that disaster responders will see:
- Try your local companion animal supply store.
- Your local animal shelter.
- Free ASPCA Free Pet Rescue Sticker
- Free ARF Pet Emergency Preparedness Decal Request
- Pets Inside Sticker From Bark Busters
- Or Google “Pet Emergency Stickers” for a variety of stickers to purchase from different vendors.
If animals can’t evacuate with you, find trusted, temporary caregivers to have on standby: If it’s dangerous for you, it may be even more dangerous for animals. Left-behind animals may drown, starve or escape into a landscape of life-threatening hazards. Remember:
- Red Cross emergency shelters do NOT accept animals due to health/safety regulations they abide by.
- The best option is to keep animals with you. They are frightened and disoriented, just like you.
- Keep a list of hotels/motels you’ve identified as “pet-friendly,” beyond your immediate area.
- If you can’t keep animals with you, research boarding facilities, local animal shelters, animal control facilities, veterinary clinics...and all potential refuges. Keep a list on hand so you can make arrangements for animals quickly.
- Ask friends and relatives who live out of harm’s way if they’d take in your animals during a disaster.
- Always collar, ID tag, and microchip AHEAD OF TIME, so separation from animals never leads to permanent loss.
- If you must shelter your animals, include the location in your evacuation route when you form disaster plans.
Keep emergency animal supplies packed: Store your animal disaster kit where household members can find it. Label containers with animal items. See COMPANION ANIMAL DISASTER KIT for suggested items to pre-pack.
Expect the worst-case scenario. Imagine you’ll only be gone for a day or two? Assume you cannot get back for several weeks. NEVER LEAVE ANIMALS TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES — even if you think “it won’t be that bad.” To simplify evacuations:
- Store a companion animal disaster kit and leashes as close to an exit as possible.
- Always ensure each animal is collared, tagged with name/phone/address/medical needs, and microchipped.
- Write each animal’s name, along with your name and contact information, on all carriers.
- If sheltering animals elsewhere, make arrangements at the first sign of disaster. Animal shelters fill fast. Call ahead.

RIDING OUT DISASTERS AWAY

Keep emergency animal supplies packed: See COMPANION ANIMAL DISASTER KIT for suggested items.
- ALL ANIMALS MUST HAVE: A collar with identification and rabies tags; labeled (your name/phone number) belongings; a carrier/cage and leash; medications and any health-related instructions; food/water and bowls; newspapers/trash for clean-up.
RIDING OUT DISASTERS AT HOME
If you live in a region prone to natural trauma such as tornadoes, floods, hurricanes wildfires, or earthquakes — have your animal disaster plan in place.
- Never leave animals outside in a storm or other approaching disaster. When time to “hunker down”, your scared companion may be impossible to locate.
- Designate safe-haven rooms that are hazard-free, without windows, flying debris, etc. Safe zones may include utility rooms, bathrooms, or basements.
- For floods, stay in the highest point of your home or a room with counters or high shelves to let animals survive.
- When electricity loss is imminent, always fill bathtubs and sinks BEFORE the disaster, to assure your access to water during a power outage or other crisis.
  
  If emergency officials advise you to remain home, keep your animals with you. Have your COMPANION ANIMAL DISASTER KIT and supplies close at hand. Animals may become stressed during the in-house confinement, so you may consider crating them for safety and comfort.
AFTER THE DISASTER PASSES
Give them comfort, love and familiarity:
- Walk animals on a leash until they reorient to their home. Familiar smells and sights may have changed and cause animals to become confused or lost. Moreover, downed power lines, reptiles or other critters swept in with high waters, and debris can threaten animals post-disaster.
- Some animals are so traumatized, they become defensive, aggressive, or not themselves (not eating, lethargic or hyper, depressed). Monitor post-disaster behavior and help them feel as comfortable and safe as possible.
- IF ANIMALS ARE MISSING AFTER A DISASTER: Contact your local animal control office to learn where animals can be recovered. If feasible, bring photos of animals with you.

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