Thanks for joining me Over Coffee
A writer by passion and profession, I've been writing since I was old enough to know how, so establishing a weblog
seemed a natural progression. By adding a blog to my site, I can speak about my passions and life, share my writing, art
and photos, and comment on current events.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Hurricane Katrina, the American Red Cross and Pets
You may have noticed my absence in recent weeks. I actually work for one of the organizations responding to the hurricanes - so my days AND NIGHTS have been filled to the brim.
Althoughs still busy, I wanted to take a few minutes to share fhe following response from the American Red Cross regarding pets and disaster.
Permission to Crosspost:
From: American Red Cross Date: September 28, 2005 Subject: The American Red Cross: Pets & Disaster
In recent weeks, there has been some confusion regarding the American Red Cross policy pertaining to pets during disasters. The American Red Cross knows – as many of its 35,000 employees and 1-million volunteers are pet lovers and can attest – that pets are part of the family. In fact, because pets are part of the family, the Red Cross believes they should be a part of the family’s emergency plans. For that reason, we include a special section on pet safety in times of disaster in our preparedness information.
The Red Cross does not and is not asking people to abandon their pets. We strongly urge people to create an evacuation plan that includes their pets (finding out ahead of time where they can go with their pet), build a pet emergency kit and make arrangements in advance for their pet’s safety, in the event that they, themselves, are not home or available when disaster strikes. We urge those faced with evacuation never to leave their pets behind:
"In the event of a disaster, if you must evacuate, the most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to evacuate them, too. Leaving pets behind, even if you try to create a safe place for them, is likely to result in their being injured, lost, or worse. So prepare now for the day when you and your pets may have to leave your home."
Our respect for pets as members of the family is also reflected in the publishing of a pet first aid manual and local pet first aid training classes. The book is available through the Red Cross online store and a list of Red Cross chapters offering pet first aid training classes is available on our Web site. This advice is echoed in the popular pet first aid manual, which says:
"If you have to evacuate your home for any reason, even if you don’t expect to be gone for long, take your pets with you! Red Cross disaster shelters cannot accept pets because of states’ health and safety regulations and other considerations (except for service animals who assist people with disabilities) so your disaster plan should include places you and your pets can stay while you’re out of your home."
SOURCE: Pet First Aid: Cats & Dogs by Bobbie Mammato, DVM, MPH; Page 96. Published and distributed by the American Red Cross
While the Red Cross cannot accept animals in our shelters, Red Cross shelters operated by local chapters can and have partnered with local animal organizations, enabling them to facilitate the acceptance of companion animals at facilities adjacent to or near the Red Cross shelters. Community members can take action to plan and prepare for future disasters by engaging with their own local animal or humane organizations and Red Chapter to help develop a coordinated sheltering plan for people and pets.
Due to the scale of the recent hurricanes, collaboration is key. We, not just the Red Cross but everyone involved and affected, are relying on the unique expertise and missions of a host of organizations and agencies to meet the extensive and constantly changing needs of the relief and recovery efforts. Since our organization’s experience and expertise is in the area of safety and preparedness for people, we partner with animal experts, including the Humane Society of the United States, to provide pet owners with good information to safeguard their pets in emergency situations.
There are now a number of trained, qualified, animal organizations on the scene in affected areas working to rescue, house and care for the animal survivors as well as reuniting pets and families. The Red Cross provides a referral list of several animal organizations currently responding to Katrina-related pet emergencies at Katrina.Redcross.org.
You may find the following news stories and preparedness information insightful and helpful:
We hope this message clarifies the Red Cross policy regarding pets in times of disaster.
Source: American Red Cross
I don't know about you all, but all that has happened in the south over the last month has gotten me thinking about my own plans for my pets when disaster strikes.
In fact, several months ago, we had the apartment building fire alarm go off early one weekday morning. It took us several minutes to get our cat carriers out, together and catch the cats...and one of our babies, our little feral, couldn't be caught and had to be left inside (yes, it was killing me). We waited out the alarm until the fire department gave the all clear. It was a false alarm that taught us a couple lessons. We have learned (decided) that we need (1) to get collapsible carriers to reduce the time it takes to get them together and (2) get protective gloves to corner our precious indoor feral. It would just kill me if anything happened to my babies -- especially if I could've prevented it.
On a related note, Saturday, Phil and I picked up our very own fire extinguisher for the apartment. I feel like such a grown-up. But, after all, fireplace season is upon us...soon, anyway.
I also wanted to send a shout out to my fave artist Hatamaran for her great fundraising paintings for the HSUS Disaster Relief Fund as well as providing valuable information and resources for the storm on her blog.
*Update - Oct. 12, 2005 - Please note that the Red Cross has removed these stories from its web site.
