INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Disasters can strike anyone, anywhere, at any time, as we saw with the recent evacuations ahead of Hurricane Milton in Florida.
Whether it’s a hurricane, flood, fire, or other emergency, evacuating with your pet requires special planning and preparation.
To help pet owners evacuate, Pet Pals TV’s Patti Spitler and Tom Dock, Director of Communications at Noah Animal Hospital, spoke Thursday about how to prepare when the clock counts.
Let’s make a plan
Dock emphasized the importance of having everything ready and ready for quick access in the event of an emergency. “Often you don’t know how much time you have. You need things readily available, like vaccination records and rabies tags. If you need to stay at a shelter or hotel that accepts pets; Copies of these documents are very important.”
Mr. Dock emphasized the importance of preparing not only for hurricanes, but also for sudden emergencies such as train derailments. “We must prepare for departure,” he said.
pets are family
For Spitler, pets are more than just animals. they are family. “When I see emergencies, it’s very upsetting and I wonder, ‘What are they going to do with the pets?’
Spitler advised keeping a “to-go bag” with essentials such as food, water and medical records. “You need to know in advance whether a shelter or hotel can accept pets,” she said, noting that not all human emergency shelters accept animals.
Stay calm in the midst of chaos
Evacuation in an emergency is expected to be chaotic.
So how can people stay focused during panic? Dock recommends keeping things simple. “I have four large mastiffs, and every time I open a new bag of food, I save some. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) requires them to be prepared for at least three days without food or water. We recommend that you always have enough on hand for this purpose.”
Dock also suggests packing any necessary pet medications, as well as cleaning supplies and tools to manage them. “Make sure you have a carrier bag for your cat and a harness for your dog.”
Helping stray pets during a disaster
What should I do if I see a stray animal in the disaster area?
Spitler urged caution. Frightened animals may behave unexpectedly. “Call your local rescue agency that specializes in this. Once you can safely approach the animal, check to see if it has a microchip and take it to the appropriate agency.”
For more tips and resources, visit Pet Pals TV online or tune into WISH-TV on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.
Noah Waibel and his dog Cookie climb the stairs to his home as his family prepares for Hurricane Milton in Port Richey, Florida, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson) Oct. 9, 2024 Hundreds People evacuate. Virgil Mills Elementary School in Palmetto, Florida, in front of Hurricane Milton. (Lokman Vral Elibor/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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