Humane Society of the US: Pet Disaster Prep Tips

This post was originally published on A Humane World Blog and is syndicated here with permission. For more content like this, visit humanesociety.org/blog. For more content like this, visit humanesociety.org. Photo credit: Anthony Rathbun/AP Images for the HSUS

Earlier this week, Hurricane Beryl intensified as a Category 4 storm, continuing a storm season that’s already been called unprecedented. When hurricane season officially started June 1, hundreds of severe weather events had already swept across so many communities during the spring, causing widespread damage. In May, a derecho (a straight-line wind event with wind speeds like a tornado) unexpectedly hit the Houston area, and tornadoes touched down across the South. And since storm season started, dangerous heat waves have occurred around the country. Tornado watches were even issued for New England. The first named storm, Tropical Storm Alberto, bore down on Mexico in mid-June. Wildfires in California and New Mexico have sent communities scrambling. People throughout the U.S. are facing many hazards. And what people face, so do animals.

This underscores the importance of disaster preparedness. Our Animal Rescue Team’s disaster work goes beyond the boots-on-the-ground response in the aftermath. Our team works with communities across the U.S. all year round to help them prepare for storm seasons that have become increasingly severe. For example, last November, we helped the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies plan and prepare for keeping animals in shelters safe through storms. Our disaster team also regularly conducts virtual preparedness trainings. We also presented on planning for animals in disaster at Animal Care Expo in San Antonio in May. Often, communities were unprepared for the devastating storms that hit them in the past and wanted to increase their readiness moving forward.

And after storms hit, we rush to provide communities with the supplies they need to take care of their animals. After the Texas derecho in May, we provided 400 extra-large wire crates to Houston Humane Society to distribute to people who needed a way to keep their animals safe and secure despite the damage to their homes and yards. In addition, pet food retailer Chewy donated a truckload of supplies that our Pets for Life program provided to Houston Humane to support underserved communities in the region. In Kentucky, Muhlenberg County Humane Society’s roof was damaged in a tornado; we are funding the repairs so that the facility can once again do its crucial work of housing homeless animals.

For animals who do have homes, it is essential to make sure they do not get lost during extreme weather events. The work of reuniting animals with their families is intensive for already busy shelter staffers, and shelter space to temporarily house lost pets in the aftermath of a storm can be hard to find. And of course, these situations have an emotional component. When people lose their homes or belongings in a storm, it is immensely comforting for pets to stay with families; it maintains the human-animal bond and allows both people and animals to recover from adversity and feel strong and resilient.

As we look toward another busy hurricane season, we’re reminded how important it is to be prepared.

You can take your preparedness to the next level by advocating for pet preparedness in your community: Contact your local emergency management agency to ask about its plans for pet-friendly emergency shelters.