Saving Animal Lives in Natural Disasters

As emergency management crews in the Southeastern U.S. prep for Hurricane Irene, another of nature's surprises struck. A 5.9-magnitude earthquake near Richmond, Virginia, shook the Eastern seaboard, including PETA's offices in Norfolk, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

The Norfolk headquarters are home to several rescued cats as well as numerous dogs who accompany their guardians to work, so staffers needed to evacuate all the animals quickly. Advance preparation made this easy: The cats' carriers—one for each cat—are kept in a readily accessible supply closet, and all cats were loaded up in a matter of seconds.



Even if you're not in the path of a hurricane—or an earthquake―now is still the time to make arrangements for safeguarding your animals in the event of an emergency:

• Check with hotels, relatives, and friends to see if you and your animals can stay there until the emergency is over.
• Make sure your animals are current on rabies vaccinations and are wearing collars with identification tags. Pack leashes, bowls, towels, blankets, litter pans, litter, and at least a week's supply of food and medications.
• Place signs in your windows and on your front door indicating how many and what kinds of animals are inside in case you are ever away from home when a disaster strikes—rescue teams may be able to save them.
• Never leave animals behind in an evacuation. You may not be able to return home for weeks, leaving animals to die lingering, painful deaths by starvation, dehydration, or drowning. If conditions aren't safe for you, they aren't safe for your animals, either.

TVs, couches, and even homes are replaceable, but best friends aren’t.