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Pets and Disaster: Be Prepared
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 — The Dog Days of Summer campaign promotes Red Cross pet safety trainings and programs, which are especially important as we enter the peak summer months. Our pets enrich our lives in more ways than we can count. In turn, they depend on us for their safety and well-being. Here's how you can prepare to protect your pets when disaster strikes.
Colleen Dougher, a Red Cross employee at the Greater Carolinas Chapter, brought two year old Saint Bernard Lucy to help her teach Pet First Aid at the Union County Agricultural Center. Lucy behaved wonderful as class participants were able to find her pulse, learn how to restrain an animal in distress, as well as muzzle and palpate for both choking and compression positions.
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A Zogby International poll found that 61 percent of pet owners will not evacuate if they cannot bring their pets with them. Other than service animals for individuals with disabilities, American Red Cross disaster shelters cannot accept pets because of health and safety regulations. In order to be prepared for disasters, the Red Cross recommends that families contact family and friends and research “pet-friendly” hotels, motels and animal shelters along their evacuation routes and keep a contact list in their disaster supplies kit. Take your pets with you if you have to evacuate. If it is not safe for people to stay in an area, it is not safe for pets.
The following two stories were recorded by, Vicki Eichstaedt (Greater Kalamazoo Area Chapter of the American Red Cross) during a conversation with Red Cross nurse, Penny Thompson, who worked with Katrina evacuees who were air lifted to Ft.Custer in Michigan.
As an RN at Ft. Custer, Penny Thompson was assigned to work with an infectious disease doctor, triaging Katrina evacuees after their flights landed in Michigan. Since the evacuees had been outdoors and in contaminated water, they were evaluated for open wounds and possible communicable diseases.
Penny remembers evaluating the needs of a man in his mid 30’s, carrying a tote bag - all that remained of his worldly possessions. He politely answered her questions, and denied needing anything she was able to offer him. When she asked if he had come to Michigan with anyone else, he replied “No ma’am.” She asked if someone would be looking for him or if she could call someone for him to let them know he was alright. Again he replied, “No ma’am.”
She asked if he would like to walk over in the gravel parking area, where they could talk privately. He shared, “I don’t know where my wife is. They took her two days ago by helicopter from our roof and I have no idea where she is.” Penny asked him, “Why did they leave you?” Looking down he said, “Well, she was real sick and the fumes were bad. So they left me.” She recorded his wife’s name and birth date to start a Disaster Welfare Inquiry with the Red Cross, and promised to report any information. Then Penny asked, “What else can I do to help you?”
“Well ma’am, I need to walk my dog.” To Penny’s amazement, he reached down, opened the tote bag he’d been so carefully carrying—and up popped a tiny shih-Tzu! He had the dog, water, food, and a leash in that tote bag. That was why they would not take him on the helicopter.
When Penny saw him the next day, the Red Cross had found his wife in a Florida hospital. They had contacted his employer, Amtrak, and had found someone to care for the little dog until he could resettle. The following day he boarded a train for Chicago where his Amtrak job and an apartment were waiting for him. Penny never saw or heard from him again, but often wonders about him, his wife and the little dog for which he cared so much.
Penny also interviewed an elderly woman who had her remaining belongings in a small suitcase. She asked, “Is there likely to be someone looking for you?” The woman said there was no one, as she lived alone. She then began to tell Penny her story. “When the water started flowing through my street, I packed a suitcase, got my purse, some books and a little food. I went to the top floor of my house and waited to be rescued. I read my Bible, the books, and wrote checks for the bills I needed to pay. I was finally airlifted from the roof and brought here. Now I just need to mail these bills.”
“That must have been really scary for you,” Penny replied. The woman seemed so calm and controlled but she continued: “I have only one worry, about my kitties. I opened all the food I had and put it out for them and turned on a faucet for them to have fresh water. But I know they’re going to die.” And at that she broke down and cried.
This story was repeated at evacuation centers all over the country. So many people would not leave when evacuation orders came in - for some, all they had in the world was their pets.
Red Cross Pet Safety
The Red Cross learned a lot during Katrina. Pet First Aid and Emergency Pet Preparedness materials are now available as well as emergency plans and agreements with partner organizations to better care for pets as well as their owners in a disaster.
If you are interested in more information on pet safety, check out the Red Cross Dog First Aid guide with DVD. To order a copy, visit the Red Cross online store. Now through September 30, 2008, you can receive 10 percent off by entering the coupon code: WOOF. Cat First Aid guides with DVDs are also available. When you shop at the Red Cross online store, up to 15 percent of your purchase benefits your local Red Cross chapter.
In addition, many Red Cross chapters across the country offer classes with hands-on training in pet first aid procedures. A list of some of these chapters can be found here.
The Red Cross is also encouraging dog owners to cool off during these dog days by diving into the American Red Cross Pet Photo Pool. Get your camera ready and sniff out these instructions to enter our Dog Days of Summer photo contest. Two pet owners will receive a free copy of the Dog First Aid guide and DVD.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization – not a government agency – and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at www.redcrosschat.org.
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