Disaster & Emergency Preparedness

Late summer into the fall can mean overworked power grids and bad weather. From tornados and hurricanes to blackouts and flooding, it’s important for every family to have an emergency plan in place. Given the chaos that ensued this February when a freak blizzard caused mass destruction and disruption across Texas, making plans for the unexpected is at the top of all our minds.

Preparing your home for an emergency can seem like a daunting and even stressful task. There are so many scenarios to plan for that it might be overwhelming, and each family has different needs as well as different means of support that can affect their ability to respond in case of a disaster. From kids to pets, there are elements of every household that require modified emergency plans. Our friends at Hill’s Pet Nutrition have a fantastic guide that can help get you started and here we want to give you an in-depth look at what pet owners should consider and expect in case of an emergency.

Preparing Your Home

There are some small but incredibly important actions you can take to prepare your home for emergencies.

• Check your smoke alarms every six months to ensure they are operating properly.
• Keep chimneys, air ducts and dryer machines clean and clear of debris. Have a professional inspect your appliances including your A/C unit every few years.
• Never leave a burning candle unattended, especially if you have pets or children.
• Consider what you will need to remain warm, dry and fed in an emergency situation.
• Take note of and write down your pet’s hiding places.
• Gather all of your emergency supplies, including pet travel carriers and important documents, and store them in a single, easily accessible room or closet so you can quickly grab them if you have to exit your home urgently.
• Post a pet rescue sticker in a visible place near your front door listing the type and number of pets in the home.
• Write down a plan and discuss it with the entire family for what everyone needs to do whether the event requires evacuation or sheltering in place.
• Look into pet-friendly hotels and transportation and write down their contact information. If you need free housing and transportation during an emergency, contact your local municipal government to ask which facilities utilized for emergency shelters are closest to you.
• We know your pet might like to run around naked, but keep their collars with their tags either around their necks or right next to the door. For more secure identification, get your pet microchipped (call 214-742-7722 to ask about getting your pet microchipped) and make sure existing chips are up-to-date with your current contact information.

Emergency Kits & First Aid

Every home and vehicle needs to have a basic first aid kit. You can find one for purchase or put together a kit yourself. Pet first aid kits are fairly similar to human first aid kits, but there are a few key items you want to make sure you have in your kit for your pet, noted in the infographic below.

Injury and illness aren’t the only things to consider when disaster planning. It is also important to keep key survival supplies together for you and your pets. When an emergency arises, time is precious, and every second spent running around the house trying to find necessities can endanger your life. Below is an infographic listing a few key items to have readily accessible for your pet in the event of an emergency.

What if I Need to be Rescued?

The absolute devastation of Hurricane Katrina taught everyone in the nonprofit world and government at all levels many hard lessons about emergency response, especially in regards to families with pets. Many people ended up refusing to evacuate because their means of transportation, emergency housing or even rescue teams would not permit their pets to accompany them. Pets and people lost their lives as a result. Thankfully, Congress passed the Pet Evacuation & Transportation Standard (PETS) Act in 2006. This law authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to “ensure that state and local emergency preparedness operational plans address the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals prior to, during, and following a major disaster or emergency.” If you need to be rescued, transported or housed with your animal, you have a right to those accommodations.

Local, state and federal emergency planning and response discussions now include pets. We were able to see firsthand the incredible need for this during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The SPCA of Texas and Dallas Animal Services established and operated an adjacent emergency pet shelter next to the facility housing people. This ensured that not only would pet owners have peace of mind knowing their pets were cared for at no cost to them, but could also visit with their pets, who provide much-needed comfort and support during the trauma of displacement.

You’re Not Alone

We know that planning for emergencies is a privilege that can feel out of reach to some – whether working two jobs or more makes time scarce or the cost of preventative maintenance and emergency items makes preparation more difficult. Physical disabilities, language barriers and other factors can also present obstacles to safety in a disaster. Rural, urban and suburban areas all have different challenges to emergency response and access to resources. Rest assured these are all part of disaster planning at the government and nonprofit levels, but individual households should tailor their plans to ensure that everyone in their family, pets included, are accommodated for.

Asking for help isn’t easy, and sometimes securing help can be even more difficult. Nonprofits, local government agencies, schools and places of worship are excellent resources during crises, so look into what organizations are close to you and feel free to reach out any time to ask how you can access assistance when you need it. When disaster strikes, the SPCA of Texas is here to support our community. If you need supplies in an emergency, reach out to us at 214-742-7722.