Prepare a disaster plan

The best way to protect your family from the effects of a disaster is to have a disaster plan. If you are a pet owner that plan must include your pets; being prepared can save their lives. If you must evacuate in the event of a disaster 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.

Pets have a positive role to play in flood evacuation. Flooding is an enormously stressful event and pets evacuated with family members have a stress relieving effect and it avoids any additional worry over abandoned animals.

The most common reason for non-evacuation of pets is a lack of suitable carriers particularly for cats. In households with multiple pets it is common to have a single carrier for veterinary visits but in an evacuation a carrier is required for each pet. Ensure that you have enough carriers constructed of wire mesh or plastic. Obviously cardboard carriers will disintegrate in a flood.

Some emergency shelters cannot accept pets. It may be difficult, if not impossible, to find shelter for your animals in the midst of a disaster, so plan ahead. Do not wait until disaster strikes to do your research.

Evacuation tips

See Evacuation tips for pets and Evacuation tips for livestock for information and advice on the best way to care for your animals during a disaster.