Pets and Disasters

1
Pets and Disasters
2
Pets in Disasters

• After Hurricane Andrew struck Southern Florida,
  in 1992, many victims were distressed when they
  discovered that they could not stay at public
  shelters if they had pets with them.

3
Pet Issues are People Issues

• 58 of U.S. households own animals.
• The media often reports the needs of animals,
  both domestic and wild, affected by disasters

4
Pet Issues are People Issues

• Some people are more concerned for their animals
  in disasters than they are for themselves. This
  may impair their ability to make sensible
  decisions about their own safety and that of
  rescue workers. Examples include Evacuation
  failures and re-entry attempts, and Unsafe rescue
  attempts.

5
Pets

• 252.3568 Emergency sheltering of persons with
  pets.--In accordance with s. 252.35, the division
  shall address strategies for the evacuation of
  persons with pets in the shelter component of the
  state comprehensive emergency management plan and
  shall include the requirement for similar
  strategies in its standards and requirements for
  local comprehensive emergency management plans.
  The Department of Agriculture and Consumer
  Services shall assist the division in determining
  strategies regarding this activity.

6
Implementation

• Step One Establish Policy Guidelines
• Step Two Develop Standard Operating Guides,
  Procedures, and Best Practices
• Step Three Training Implementation

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Policy Guidance

• Include pets in family disaster plans

8
Policy Guidance

• Take your pets with you when ordered to evacuate
• The best plan is to evacuate with your pets to
  friends and/or family
• Identify and promote pet friendly policies of
  Hotels and Motels during emergencies
• Shelters are life boats, for both you and/or your
  pets

9
Policy Guidance

• Evacuation support should include people with
  pets
• Evacuation Routes
• Buses
• Special Needs

10
Policy Guidance

• Sheltering, no one should be turned away from a
  shelter with pets
• Options
• Co-located Pet Friendly Shelters
• Centralized Pet Shelters
• Boarding facilities and animal shelters,
  volunteer groups

11
Policy Guidance

• Shelters - Service animals should never be turn
  away or separated from their owner

12
Policy Guidance

• Animal rescue teams should be integrated in ESF 9
  - Search and Rescue (SAR)
• Animal SAR teams should be typed and credentialed
  for the level of service they are capable of

13
Additional Actions

• Add major Pet Retailers to the SERT in support of
  ESF 17