Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Babcock, Sarah A.
• Smith, Dean G.

Titel

Pets in Comprehensive Disaster Planning: The Post–Hurricane Katrina Experience

Ist Teil von

• American journal of public health (1971), 2020-10, Vol.110 (10), p.1500-1501

Ort / Verlag

Washington: American Public Health Association

Erscheinungsjahr

2020

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

PAIS Index

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Before Hurricane Katrina, the City of New Orleans, Louisiana, had emergency preparedness plans that focused on the care of pets in shelters. With required evacuation of the city, pets of families without transportation or other options were left behind or became separated. Many people refused evacuation efforts to remain with their pets, some to their own peril. People take great risks by refusing to evacuate and by seeking to retrieve pets.1 Including pets in disaster plans can benefit pet owners' physical and mental wellbeing, ensure an adequate workforce, and prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases and other consequences of unattended pets. As a direct consequence of Katrina, Congress passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006 (PETS Act; Pub L No. 109-308, HR 3858). The PETS Act and related legislation at the national, state, and local levels provide authorization and resources for care of pets and planning for disasters and emergencies. Following the guidance of the PETS Act and lessons learned from the experience ofKatrina, the City ofNew Orleans prepared a new evacuation plan for humans and animals. Three years later, Hurricane Gustav put the new plan to the test. People without other means of transportation brought their pets to parish pickup points. Owners and their pets received bar-coded wristbands and had their information entered into databases. People rode on buses and pets rode on trucks destined for the same sites. The basic requirements of a functional plan were met: people understood the plan, an adequate number of carriers and vehicles were available for pets, and few pets were lost in the process.