Preparing for Your Pooch (or Cat, or Canary, or Cow) SESSION 1: Got Animals? Got a Clue How to Prepare Them? Jo Becker jobecker.weebly.com Volunteer Member of the Oregon Humane Society Technical Animal Rescue www.oregonhumane.org/services/animal_rescue.asp handout
It s a Matter of IF, Not WHEN Disaster Will Strike. EARTHQUAKES The Pacific NW is historically overdue for a large scale earthquake of the magnitude that hit Japan in 2011. dis as ter [dih-zas-ter, -zah-ster] dictionary.com defines the noun as a calamitous event, especially one occurring suddenly and causing great loss of life, damage, or hardship. FLOODS More than 90% of all natural disasters in the U.S. involve flooding. What Are Some Examples of Big and Little Disasters? FIRE Perhaps the most common disaster = fire Ok, so a disaster of some sort may be around the corner SO, WHY PREPARE YOUR ANIMALS? Dogs at a shelter for displaced pets in Galveston Island, Texas Dogs displaced by Hurricane Ike are sheltered at the local center. September 17, 2008/Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA
Many livestock and animals were rescued from high water levels in St. Louis, Mo. July 9, 1993/Andrea Booher/FEMA Residents with pets who stayed behind when Hurricane Katrina hit leave after police told them the pets can go with them. Many were in New Orleans without electricity or tap water for 10 days. September 08, 2005/Liz Roll/FEMA Dogs stand in debris among the rubble outside their Katrina-damaged homes in Biloxi, MS. September 3, 2005/Mark Wolfe/FEMA A Search and Rescue team member brings in a stranded dog in Princeville, NC. September 23, 1999/Dave Saville/FEMA
A Search and Rescue Team brings in dozens of stranded dogs from flooded Princeville, NC. Rescuing stranded pets has become a priority, as many towns remained under water for extended periods. Soldiers rescue 1 of the hundreds of stray dogs on the streets of New Orleans, LA. September 08, 2005/Liz Roll/FEMA September 23, 1999/Dave Saville/FEMA Residents and pets are evacuated from East Grand Forks, MN as water rapidly rises. Hundreds of pets were left in homes and were rescued in the following days. April 18, 1997/Dave Saville/FEMA A family desperate to save their pets carries them through flood waters. burgebirdservices.homestead.com/hurricanekatrina2.html
Horses are easier to move out of low-lying areas ahead of a storm. You can load a horse pretty quickly into a truck. They just love riding. Livestock being rescued from high water levels in St. Louis, MO. July 09, 1993/Andrea Booher/FEMA You start moving cattle, you figure you can load 30 to 40 head of cattle in a semi. You have 4,000, 5,000 head of cattle -- you do the math. Commissioner of Ag. nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2012/08/rescue_under_way_for_cattle_le.html Coast Guard Petty Officer Tom Hemminger softly talks to a dog who was found on the roof of a home in flooded Princeville, NC. Princeville. September 22, 1999/Dave Saville/FEMA Rescuing dogs off the roof of a collapsed house. burgebirdservices.homestead.com/hurricanekatrina2.html
Dave Pauli of the Humane Society of the United States proudly shows off a rescued pet. Animal rescue operations in the Grand Forks area on MN continued for several days. April 01, 1997/ Dave Saville/FEMA A dog displaced by Hurricane Ike waits to be checked in at a Galveston Island, TX shelter set up by the Humane Society where volunteers from around the country helped rescued animals. September 17, 2008/Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA It Pays to Be Prepared! Betty the Prepared Dog Hopefully I ve Struck a Cord There were some happy reunions, to be sure, but also many not so happy endings. Lessons learned within the emergency management and first responder industries. The need for household preparedness. Betty lives on the CA coast. Her people made sure a pet life jacket was included in her emergency supply kit. April 28, 2012 /Carolyn Deming/FEMA
So, How to Prepare? First of All, No Matter the Disaster, Things Will Be Different It s helpful to know what s normal for your animals: behavior, body language, eating / sleep habits, heart rate, respiration, temperature, etc. Desensitize Your Animals by working with them regularly. Second, ALWAYS Consider Your Own Safety because if you re killed or injured you can t help anyone else. Be very safety conscious, even when dealing with animals you know! They may attack or act differently Because they are hurt or scared. Stay clear, approach cautiously, learn to read their body language. handout handout
Third, PLAN NOW, Before Disaster Strikes by gathering supplies, creating plans, and practicing them. Failing to plan is planning to fail. FEMA preparation mantra Preparation is Vital! There are no good reasons for not having a plan: The government will take care of me! I have insurance It will never happen to me It won t be that bad Reasons to have a plan: To protect you and your family To protect your pets and livestock To protect your property, business, etc. To protect the safety and wellbeing of emergency responders, and To allow you to help your community and reserve critical community resources for: those with special needs those who are more severely impacted The YOYO Rule Severity of Emergency Resource needs State resources Local resources YOYO Federal resources Personal or organizational Resources (YOYO)
So! Whatever You Do to Prepare for Yourself Whether You Stay (Shelter-in-Place) A Red Cross "ready to go" kit showing the bag and it's contents. Red Cross photograph or You Go (Evacuate) Do the Same for Your Animals! Have a Plan for Your Animals As Well As Yourself! Whether You Stay or Go, Plan for Your Animals! If you shelter-in-place, don t forget to bring in the animals! If you must evacuate, do not leave your animals behind. If it is unsafe for you to remain, then it is unsafe for your them! Be prepared to ID your animals (tags, chips, pix, identifying marks). Take and store pictures of your pet, and of you and your pet together. If you become separated from your pet during an emergency, a picture of you and your pet together will help you document ownership and allow others to assist you in identifying your pet. Include detailed information about species, breed, age, sex, color and distinguishing characteristics. You might also (not instead but also) store pictures of your animals on your phone. Credit: Linda Keast / Animal Aid / Loose Proofing Session ID ing Your Animals Also consider Additional Sheets by Animal Aid
Think About Transportation Do you have adequate carriers and cages; train pets to like them! ( desensitize ) Do you have adequate trailers; train animals to load! Where Do You Evacuate To? Emergency shelters won t accept animals! If you re lucky people and animal shelters will be close to one another. Have a plan of where to go with your animals (friends or family outside the area, boarding facilities, pet-friendly hotels, camp grounds, vet clinics, etc.) If you have multiple animals you may have to house them separately. Also see Additional Training and Information Sheet
3 Resources for Your Emergency Toolkit 5-1-1 Traffic & Weather: Real time traffic and weather information can be obtained by calling 5-1-1 from most phones. State of Oregon EOP Support Annexes SA F. Evacuation Draft 06/2010 2-1-1 Call Centers: 2-1-1 call centers are prepared to receive calls during a disaster requesting assistance and/or information from the public. They maintain current information on shelters, food, clothing, rumor control, and assistance locations. State of Oregon EOP Support Annexes SA F. Evacuation Draft 06/2010 Animal-Specific Prep Notes & Lists: paloaltohumane.org/education/disaster.php A Sample For You: 1 More Tip: Preprogram data into your mobile and GPS units. Home_72_Hour_Kit_example from Mike Mumaw, City of Beaverton HOMEWORK: Please start with just 1 step tonight because The only thing harder than explaining why you need to prepare for a disaster, is having to explain why you didn t. No More Excuses! List 10 practical things you can do in the next month to begin (or pick up where you ve left off) to prepare your family and your animals for disaster: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
No More Excuses ~ Start This Week! Now list 3-5 you can easily accomplish this week (be detailed and set a deadline): 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1 More Homework Assignment GET TO KNOW YOUR LOCAL EMERGENCY MGR! Oregon: http://cms.oregon.gov/omd/oem/ docs/plan_train/locals_list.pdf Washington: http://www.emd.wa.gov/myn/ myn_contact_info.shtml To Recap: Thank you for coming! Preplanning is vital; Start this week! Know what s normal for your animals Have adequate supplies and transportation Be prepared to identify your animals Make a plan and practice it with your animals Jonas the Prepared Dog Jonas seems pleased with his waterproof gear useful to add to any pet (or human) emergency supply kit. May 4, 2012/Carolyn Deming/FEMA Please spay and neuter! Pet overpopulation is the leading killer of cats and dogs in our country. 50K puppies and kittens are born every day in the US. An estimated 3.7 million animals are euthanized in shelters each year across the US. U.S. taxpayers spend up to $2 billion annually dealing the issues surrounding unwanted, homeless animals. animalkind.org/pet_overpopulation.html Join Us for More Tips and Info! SESSION 2: 2:15 3:30 Animals in Jeopardy, THE GAME! SESSION 3: 3:45 5:00 Info- and Idea-Sharing
Do You Want More Animal Prep. Training, Tips, & Info? Are you interested in: Animals-in-disaster / prep. tips sent to your email inbox Classroom sessions like this? Short 1-2 hour classes? In-depth 4-6 hour classes? A series of classes (say 1x a wk. for 3-4 wks.)? Hands-on workshops where preparedness steps are accomplished and completed? What TOPICS are you interested in: Learning Pet 1st Aid (CPR, etc.) Large animal info. specifically Additional animals-in-disaster prep. like this class Animal rescue stories Other -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IF you want to receive notices as these programs are developed, provide your contact info. (optional): Name: Email address: Phone # (to be used in the event the Email address above has changed): print clearly print clearly