Keep Your Animals Safe in an Emergency: Use This Disaster Guide

Posted by Calvin on October 28, 2024

The climate catastrophe causes extreme weather to get more dangerous by the day. As a responsible animal guardian, you must ask yourself: What would happen to your beloved animal companions if a winter storm, a fire, a hurricane, a tornado, an earthquake, a flood, or another disaster were to strike tomorrow? 😨 Use this disaster guide to keep your animal companions safe in an emergency.

BEFORE AN EMERGENCY STRIKES

Have an Emergency Kit

Prep for an emergency by putting together a kit that has a harness and leash, a carrier, bottled water, food, bowls, a favorite toy, a blanket, a towel, and a copy of your animal companions’ medical records. Have a small litter tray ready for your cat as well as a coat and booties to protect your dog from the cold on walks. (Keep walks short in cold weather, especially for shorthaired dogs.)

ID Your Animals

Make sure that all your animals have collars or harnesses with identification—cats and dogs should be microchipped, and the chip registration should be up to date. Keep current pics of your animal companions so that you can help other people ID them if you get separated.

Use PETA Emergency Window Stickers

Put PETA’s emergency window stickers near your front and back doors and on side windows in case an emergency unfolds when you aren’t home. The stickers will let rescuers know there are animals in your home who need help. 🚨

DURING AN EMERGENCY

Don’t Leave Animals Outside

This is crucial: Keep your animals safe indoors with you during extreme weather. Dogs kept tethered or penned during hurricanes or floods will swim to exhaustion and drown. Animals who are chained or penned outdoors have no protection from strong winds, flying debris, or falling trees and can get frostbite and even die from exposure quickly. 😰

Don’t Leave Animals Behind

If you’re being evacuated, never leave animals behind. You might not be able to return for days or even weeks. Animals left behind may become malnourished or dehydrated, be crushed by collapsing walls, drown, or escape and become lost.

Know Your Destination

Make a game plan for where you could go if you need to evacuate. Not all emergency shelters accept animals, but many hotels understand the assignment—most of those that don’t usually accept animals will make a special exception during disasters. 👏

Watch for Other Animals

Be on the lookout for other animals in trouble. If you see any animals who are kept chained or penned outside or are in distress but you can’t help them, note their exact location and call local law-enforcement authorities ASAP.

IF YOU’RE FORCED TO LEAVE ANIMALS BEHIND

Hurricane Katrina showed us that humans would rather stay in a disaster zone with their animal companions but that officials sometimes force people to leave their animal companions behind. Here’s what to do if this happens to you.

Get Them Into a Secure Area

Your animal companions rely on you for many things and can’t survive “on instinct,” so never turn them loose outdoors. Instead, leave them in a safe spot inside your home where they can get to the upper floors if they need to escape rising floodwaters. Do NOT leave them crated. Animals left in crates are unable to escape floods and fires—one of the (many) reasons never to leave them crated and unattended.

Set Them Up

Leave out at least a 10-day supply of dry food and fill every bowl, pan, and container you have with water. Fill your sinks, too, and if your toilet bowl is free of chemical disinfectants, leave the seat up. That way, if a container spills, your animal companion will still have backup sources of water. 💧

Hit Up Your Neighbor

If you can’t get to your home, ask a reliable neighbor or friend to check on your animals and get them out, if possible. Give them specific instructions on how to care for your animals while you’re gone. ❤️

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If there’s a dog in your neighborhood who’s penned or chained outside 24/7, there are ways you can bring joy into their life. Use this poster to spread info about how to help “backyard dogs” in your community.