Plan to Take Your Animals with You in Case of Emergency

Make an Emergency Disaster Plan for Yourself and Your Animals

After the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding where many animals were abandoned or people put their lives in danger to stay behind to care for them, FEMA declared Animal Disaster Preparedness Day.

Take some time and make a plan to care for your animals in case of fire, tornado, flood, hurricane or earthquake.

• Create an exit plan. Because emergency shelters often won’t take animals, find pet friendly motels or boarding facilities both nearby and outside of the immediate vicinity.
• Keep crates, leashes and medications available and ready to go.
• Make sure your pets have ID tags securely fastened to their collars or are micro-chipped in case you get separated.
• Take favorite blankets, toys, food and water bowls with enough food for a week.
• Put small animals in carriers or your dogs on a leash. In all the confusion of moving quickly away from danger, animals can spook and get separated from you.
• If you live in an area of severe weather events keep a weather radio handy. When severe weather threatens, keep your animals confined in case you have to evacuate.
• Share your plan with the whole family. Practice the plan so everyone knows their responsibilities, and everyone can get out safely and quickly.

For more information, visit fema.gov

What plans do you have in place in case of emergency evacuation?