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Pets and Disasters
Making
a Family
Disaster Plan
Creating
a Family Communication Plan
Making
a Disaster Survival Kit
Just
like you and your family, it's important to keep your pets
safe during disaster. They depend on you to take care of
them and have a disaster kit prepared so they'll be ready!
Here are some tips and directions to ensure your pets will
stay safe.
To prepare before a disaster:
Call hotels or motels outside your immediate area
and ask about their policies on accepting pets during
an emergency. Most Red Cross shelters will not
allow animals inside.
Keep a list of "pet friendly" places in your emergency
kit so you"ll know where to go. If you get advance notice
that you will need to evacuate, call and make a reservation
at the "pet friendly" places right away! You can also ask
friends or relatives outside the area if they could keep
your pets in an emergency.
Prepare a list of boarding facilities and veterinarians
who could shelter your animals in an emergency. Keep
the list in your emergency kit, too. If you have more
than one pet, they may be more comfortable if they
are kept together, but in an emergency that might
not be possible.
If you are under a disaster warning, keep your
pets inside with you so you don’t have to look for them
if you have to evacuate. Make sure they are wearing
collars and identification tags.
Take photos of your pets and put them in
your disaster survival kit so you will have a way
to identify them if you become separated.
To keep your pets safe during a disaster:
ALWAYS bring them with you! Even if you
have a safe place at home to leave them in, it's much
safer to bring your pets along.
Birds and lizards should be moved in a secure
travel cage or carrier. If the weather is cold, wrap
a blanket over the carrier and warm up the car first.
During warm weather, carry a plant mister to mist
the birds’ feathers from time to time. Put a piece of
fruit or some vegetables with high water content in
the cage instead of water.Try to keep the carrier in a
quiet place, but DO NOT let your pet out as they
may fly away in the confusion.
Snakes should be put in a pillowcase while you
are evacuating, but you will need to put them in a
more secure place when you reach the evacuation site.
If your snake requires regular feeding, carry food with
you, as well as a water bowl large enough for soaking
your snake and a heating pad.
Smaller pets, such as hamsters and gerbils,
should be moved in their secure cages or carriers.
Take bedding materials, food bowls and water bottles.
Remember!
Disaster shelters do not allow pets!
The best
way to keep your pet safe in the aftermath
of a disaster is to plan ahead and find a place for
them to stay if you and your family are evacuated.
Thanks to the Federal Emergency Management Agency website for the information on this page!