It sounds trivial but it isn't. What to do about pets in the event of a disaster. We saw in the Katrina evacuation how failure to take separation anxiety of pet owners into account created a major public safety problem. People were unwilling to leave their dogs, cats and other pets behind and if told they couldn't take them, they refused to leave. This problem has been known by sociologists and others studying disasters for decades but disaster planners don't bother to consult the literature, it seems. Now, with the problem highlighted on CNN for a week straight, there is finally legal recognition, at least in Louisiana.
State and local officials have begun setting up Louisiana 's new pet evacuation plan, required by a new law enacted to avoid problems that erupted when Hurricane Katrina struck last year.Gov. Kathleen Blanco signed the bill into law on June 23. It won final House approval 93-0 and cleared the Senate 34-0.
The law is thought to be the first of its kind in the United States. It applies to cats, dogs and other domesticated animals normally maintained on the property of the owner. (The Advocate)
It's is a good start but there is much to do to implement a law like this. Stating the problem is easy, solving it not so easy. The legislation requires animal shelters, humane societies, veterinarians, kennels and grooming facilities to submit their own evacuation plans to to state agriculture officials by month's end:
The legislation calls for service animals and their owners to be evacuated together, and for household pets in carriers and cages to be allowed on public transportation if it does not endanger human life. State and parish emergency officials are required to find humane ways to shelter pets during an evacuation, with consideration for minimum care, space, hygiene, and medical needs. Officials must also create an identification system for reuniting people and pets separated during storms. "Will it go completely glitch free? I don't think so. I think we [will] have major glitches. But at least the process has started," said Sen. Clo Fontenot, who sponsored the bill. (CDC Public Health Law listerv).
Senator Fontenot is right on two counts. It won't go smoothly, and it is good to get the planning started. Often the act of planning is more valuable than the plan itself.
In general, what to do about companion animals ("pets") is often overlooked. In an influenza pandemic, for example, humane societies should be thinking about what to do with "orphaned" animals or with small kennels or grooming salons where the operators become sick and have to abandon their charges. What if it turns out that the virus can infect mammals besides humans? We know that both cats and dogs have been infected, although we don't know how common it is. Some thought should be given to how to handle this situation. Will we see people turning their pets loose out of fear or vigilantes shooting animals for the same reason?
Time for animal welfare workers to get in on the pandemic flu planning. Meanwhile, if you are interested in the Louisiana law, you can find the text here (.pdf!)
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Are horses included in that bill?
During the Katrina aftermath, when every blogger was discussing politics, I was mostly digging up information about the rescue efforts of horses and the situation in local zoos and aquaria - and that information was not easy to find: I mostly got it from my local Zoo director's personal blog.
coturnix: The law says service animals and household pets:
Service animals I take to be seeing eye dogs and the like. Howver horses are certainly domesticated animals. Since this is enabling legislation, the details will be worked out in regs and they won't be easy to craft.
Yes, it IS amazing how people in life-threatening situations will not leave their animals behind, even to save their own lives. I have seen this many times working hurricane disaster relief situations.
Making provisions for pets may help bring some people into hurricane shelters that would usually not evacuate. There will still be those who will never leave, no matter WHAT the situation. It will be interesting to see if being "pet-friendly" actually increases the number of those coming to shelters. I would not be surprised to hear that it does NOT.
Adding pets to the mix of evacuees will further stress the system during crisis. But, it might be worth trying just to see what impact it has on bringing people into shelters. There were an increased number of pet-friendly shelters last hurricane season. They were few and far between but from what I heard, they ran smoothly.
I agree that bringing animals into shelters in the midst of a panflu could be a whole different scenario. If the potential for cross-contamination existed, I would never enter such a shelter. Too many species; too many variables.
Humanely addressing this situation is worthwhile. However, IMHO, human life must remain the primary focus. And when presented with the dilemma of human vs. animal, the human life must come first.
Altho if presented with the choice between saving a child molester and a puppy...hmmm. BTW...we will have separate shelters for convicted sex offenders this year also. Another evolutionary step in disaster preparedness.
Well, this situation might pose particular problems:1,500-pound pet needs a home where he won't be on the menu.
When freshmen head off to college next month, a daring few may sneak pets into dorms -- a cuddly cat, perhaps, to be hidden from the authorities. Hilary Maxson's pet, Thunder, isn't that easily concealed.
Thunder is an approximately 1,500-pound Simmental steer. So the Medfield resident can't take him with her -- and that's got her worried.
And what am I gonna do with my giant Madagascar hissing cockroaches?
cervantes: I don't know if you are kidding or not, but I do know these cockroaches are kept as "pets" by quite a few people and there are websites devoted to their care and feeding. It looks to me that the legislation covers them, so you should feel free to venture into Louisiana this hurricane season with your companions.
The difficulty is IMO that mammalian feelings we are having for pet animals are narrowing our view on shared circumstances, like a looming disaster or health hazard.
I myself would not dispose of our lovely last cat (the other had diabetes and after 4 years shè would have liked to live on, but we disliked the mess she started to make more and more in the living). This cat is petting my little daughter when she is ill and sleeps with the girl until she is well again. As long as I can have any control during disaster, I will keep her. Food, drinking and shelter are not the problem. Behavioral control also is no issue in her case. I kept her inside the house for months, and it doesn't make a difference to her at all. She just sleeps at other places.
But a horse in a stable, and the need to go outside the house to feed it and clean things up would be a different story to me. When I see those empty little meadows with no grass left and some ponies who need to get extra hay daily, I sometimes think how catastrophal it would be when they were left alone (caretaker ill for several days or weeks).
On the other hand, animals often are more or less a member of the family. They are the non-growing up toddlers, significant to us for some reason. Like in fairies, a few chickens or other pets make a lot of difference to poor families, even when finally they are slaughtered and eaten.
In World War II they ate pets during periods of famine.
As Revere stated: "Often the act of planning is more valuable than the plan itself." It's the psychological preparation that can be upholding our humanity, instead of throwing our pets out like it happened in Germany and Belgium last year. Or like is happening now just before going on holiday, like every year, when people leave the grown up puppies and kittens in the woods and 'take' a new one at spring.
.... though, with global warming and all, the temperate zones of the US turning tropical, the cockroaches could do just fine here....I would much prefer packs of hungry hissing cockroaches, then say, packs of hungry displaced dogs.
You'll be happy to know that FEMA has retained on contract the services of veterinarians that will go in and take care of animals after a disaster. Pre-hurricane events people are being requested to take their animals inland two or three days in advance of a storm to kennels and to trailer horses to military installations where they will be hobbled so they can feed and drink. They have also prepositioned mobile kennels now in Miss, Al, GA. There are not enough though. Animal Shelters as far away as KY are agreeing to assist if and when it becomes necessary.
As for people who wont leave because of their animals, well please get a luggage tag (plastic) and attach it to your leg with a tiewrap so the body can be identified. I point this out because in the last 15 years the accuracy of forecasting has increased by 300% by the low estimates. If someone says get out because the winds are going to be in excess of 100 mph then you should go, with or without the pets. Currently as an advisory for all of the Gulf Coast and as exampled on the MS. Gulf Coast there are no structures designed or capable of withstanding anything higher than 100 mph for more than 7 minutes. Thats the building code in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi. I would say there is less restrictive code in Georgia, the Carolinas, and on up.
Either way. You stay and the winds are forecasted to be higher than 100, you likely will not make it. If you care about your pets then pack yourself up and take them with you.
tard: how about both?
Thanks, Revere, for tackling this. 63% of American households include pets and a recent Zogby poll found that 49% of people said they would not evacuate a dangerous situation if they had to leave their pets behind.
This issue is being addressed at senior levels of the federal government and by many states, including Louisiana. Congress is considering legislation that would require that states include pets and service animals in disaster planning.
Including pets in the equation is important, but if we've all learned one thing since Hurricane Katrina it's that everyone who has the physical and financial ability also has a moral obligation to be prepared for disasters.
The US House has passed, and the Senate has in Committee,(S.2548) the "PETS Act" Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act, legislation that provides for pets to be allowed transport with owners in emergencies . The Senate has 20 co-sponsors (incl. Ted Stevens), and it's with the Homeland Security Committee. (Because of FEMA?). So hopefully this will solve the problem nationwide, not one state at a time. Folks may want to contact their Senators.
I live in Scotland, a country that is blessed with no hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, significant flooding or civil unrest. When I hear people moaning about the rain I request that they shut up and just look at the green fields full of food and grazing animals.
We don't have to plan for emergencies the same way as many of you do, but if one arose I would not leave my cats or my neighbours' pets behind. It is unthinkable. I have a duty of care to them, they are so loving and trusting, and we don't have problems with vermin or burglars as among us we have pest control and early warning systems galore (why were animals were domestciated in the first place?). I couldn't live with myself if I abandoned them, although no doubt they'd do better than the average human. Being single and without children quite possibly they mean more to me. If I caught some savage trying to hunt them for food there's a strong possiblility me and my ice axe would end up in jail.
In a balls-out pandemic, we'd be more likely to catch flu from other humans, I don't think animals would make matters any worse. In any case I plan to volunteer to help at an animal shelter and in geriatric care, as well as giving blood as often as they'll let me. Why? I don't want to live in a world where we all hide from each other and I'm incined to fight for the underdog. I'm strong and healthy, with no dependents, one of those who should act. If it gets me it gets me. More people doing their bit will mean more people pulling through. (Randy, I know your feelings on this so with utmost respect please don't waste your time telling me I'm nuts, many people have already suggested this and I don't argue with them.)
I refuse to be entirely logical or practical in this matter.If disaster struck and my family had to bail out I would take our dog with us REGARDLESS.Of course my teenage daughter is more important than a dog.But I would still not leave the dog behind.I would absolutely insist on taking them both,and I would.So to the "authorities"...what you gonna do when faced with a fierce mum with a child in one arm and a dog in the other?Just try it mate.
With the above noted legislation, they WON'T be able to say no. The bill is a response to what happened to Katrina and elsewhere, recognizing it as a public health issue. For once, Congress is doing something right! Even without a lobbyist (except maybe Humane Society etc)
Let them know it's impt and you agree, go here:
http://www.senate.gov/
find your state and TELL THEM.
The cat carriers are stacked right next to the bug-out bags. Where I live this isn't a hypothetical. If I have to go, the cats go with me.
It isn't just pet owners who wouldn't evacuate. HSPH has a study that nearly a third of citizens won't evacuate in any disaster. It is an illuminating piece of psychology.
Melanie.... HSPH and their "illuminating piece of psychcology" be buggered.Did it cost half a million bucks to discover what is already known?.If so,heh we do the same here.
We had a hundred year storm in 2004, 2005 winter months (Southern California has the majority of its storm events in winter). This washed out whole sections of a marsh that I had been studying and it lost species of insects that I had been following. And, as terrible as that was, the numbers of insect species and Families increased. I suspect the numbers came from upland sources (farmland pest and predator were apparent) , though I have read in other papers that wasps, and not just scavengers, increase in numbers in flooded areas.
As for Katrina... I would expect flies and beetles, that feed on decaying animals and plants, to be a real nuisance. Ants and particularly the fire ant - I have not read official news on them since the storm, but aggressive species like that will take advantage and take over less aggressive ones when the habitat is decimated. I do know that pest control is doing something about them...
The massive clean up that was promised and needed, however, as described to me by people who went there to put back telephones and other services, was next to nothing. The telephone guys used couches and house hold items on the streets and freeways as signposts to get around town. Apparently, those things are STILL there today.
So, I imagine the insect clean up crews are there doing their jobs.... but....
Our nation was not prepared for that event and obviously there is even some heavy denial about it existence -> now!... And I think that THAT is the issue - we think we are immune to natural disasters - after all everything looks just fine on television... (is this why we are so complacent or is it just our nature?? or do we have a lack of imagination as one public person put it...) Though, to be honest.... I think that more would have gone into evacuation and communication if there were more white rich people.
And the clean up crews would be there in a wink, too....
Well, we all know that you can NOT legislate common sense. IMO, do we have the resources to handle all the human creatures FIRST? That includes food, water and shelter?
Secondly, do we have enough special needs shelters to handle the increasing numbers of elderly and sick? Do we have the methods to identify, locate and transport those who need it? Nope. Any legislation to fix that? Huh?
In my experience, I say no to both. Additionally, the shelters that we have utilized in the past, have been notoriously inadequate in their structural safety. If we had to eliminate all of those that did not meet today's criteria, there would be few shelters left in hurricane-land.
Remedy these situations FIRST, IMO. It is all touchy-feely, "good" political PR to be kind to animals. It would be nice to be kind to the human PUBLIC first.
Ya gotta prioritize our resources. And they are limited (in case you haven't figured that out). I would anticipate that the majority of us on this forum would not have to ever utilize a shelter because we have other resources. But, many shelters are not up to par, altho staffed with devoted people. And for goodness sake, add some security measures for dealing with large numbers of confined, stressed out people! That needs to be routine, not an afterthought. THEN take care of animals. The owners should be doing that themselves anyway.
And Tardi, just to let you know...only a few thousand residents were left in New Orleans out of a few hundred thousand. That sure beats the heck out of the usual 30% staying, statistic. And inner city New Orleans IS, as Mayor Nagan called it, a "chocolate city" - almost 70% black, especially right around the SuperDome (in that area, it is prob. 100%). Anyone that has lived in or near New Orleans knows that. You weren't going to see mostly Orientals on the TV screen. Instead you saw the demographics reflective of a largely Afro-American city.
BTW...my brother, who was in Katrina, says that the fire ants that have plagued the Coast have since moved northward. Seems they didn't like a salt water incursion.
nsthesia, I just stepped on over to Wikipedia to look for some numbers on Katrina and New Orleans... I would have to do more serious looking to check this out, but they have a number of 1,577 dead from the hurricane including those "out-of-state evacuees counted by Louisiana".... I also remember school buses fender deep and higher in water and a Superdome filled with people sweltering needing food and water.... I remember people pacing like caged animals because of heat and lack of water... I have the images of people floating face down in mucky water.
It is not comforting to me to think that, as you said, only a few thousand people were left there to fend for themselves. I am ashamed of our nation. We should be smart and humane enough to take care of each other AND our companions. What the hell are we thinking?
Most of the southern states, no, in point of fact, all communities that live by the ocean have saltwater intrusion, anyway. Why? because the ocean is so big and the freshwater that pushes back, is such a small portion of the earth's total water source. Think of the time you were playing in mud and the garden hose... remember when you added water to the little poolwith an island in it ....it all caved in!
Saltwater intrusion is an issue that will haunt coastal cities forever and the condition will only get worse as people pump their aquifers for drinking water. And, Louisiana is a marsh and a saline marsh.... 40% of all saltwater marshes found in the continental US is in .... no, IS Louisiana. Salt is part of the soil.
...I have to tell you something cool. I collect insects and I study these guys that can survive in saline conditions. One of the most interesting soil conditions of a salted soil is that when the salt dries in fine soils (like those from a delta like the Mississippi) the NaCl grows crystals in fine hair like needles. These needles can penetrate the cuticle of many soft bodied insects.... and so.... those insects that can live in these habitats have a 'leg up' on those insects that want to invade and maybe eat them..... Where the sea has retreated leaving areas of up thrusted land high and dry (like the protected inland deserts of California) (mind you - the salt is still there) the ancestors of the beach insects live there, too, in the desert!!!.... protected by their adaptation to the salted soils.....
Katrina did not bring salt to New Orleans. It was there all the time.
Currently as an advisory for all of the Gulf Coast and as exampled on the MS. Gulf Coast there are no structures designed or capable of withstanding anything higher than 100 mph for more than 7 minutes.
There are, in fact, structures on the Gulf Coast which are entirely capable of withstanding such winds, or even considerably stronger ones, for as long as Aeolus cares to blow.
See here for a few examples. Most of which were built after hurricanes trashed the previous conventionally constructed buildings.
There are not enough of these structures. There should be more.
The cat carriers are stacked right next to the bug-out bags. Where I live this isn't a hypothetical. If I have to go, the cats go with me.
Melanie, your discipline and foresightedness are to be admired, but I despair that they will ever be emulated, at least not by average Americans.
Pet preparedness? One can hardly convince Americans to spay and neuter, not even with the gruesome visuals of huge barrels of euthanized stray animals on display.
We too have cat carriers close to hand. And, living in an area with a history of seismic disasters, we have food, water and medicine for ourselves and for them, sufficient to last a minimum of two months' time.
If one were to draw a 1km circle around our household, my guess is that you might, possibly, find one or two other families who have thought about such provisioning.
The rest, I fear, are expectant that the magic Someone, Somewhere, will speedily Send Help if something untoward happens. Given what demonstrably happened in N'Awlins to persons who thought that way, I would aver that the Someone in question is not anyone on whom I personally would care to rely in a pinch.
Tardi,
My comments re: the low percentage of people remaining in New Orleans is in response to Melanie's stats that in any disaster, that on average, 30% CHOOSE to stay. We see that all the time with hurricanes. *Please note that the statement is that it is a CHOICE, not forced confinement*.
We projected years ago, that it would take DAYS to evacuate New Orleans. In fact, it was anticipated to be largely impossible to do so. It was recommended at that time, that evacuations be done vertically as an alternative. That so many DID manage to get out is a remarkable feat. BUT - many people chose to stay. And then, at the last minute, they panicked. It happens all the time.
Many become victims because they choose to stay. They think it will not be so bad, they think it will go somewhere else, they think their home is so strong. They are wrong. And they forgot about the levees...
But, if you decide wrongly, it is not the fault of the government, God or your mother in law. And one of the consequences in NO, was having to shelter in the SuperDome or Convention Center. Everyone that has any knowledge of that area, knows that going to the SuperDome with the crowd that remained (with few exceptions), was going to be hell on earth. It would have been thus even without a hurricane. Ask someone who lives there.
Perhaps if the perception was changed from victims left to "fend for themselves" to people who tempted fate and decided to "ride out the storm" and lost the bet, you might see it differently. We see this annually. The levee break just exacerbated the numbers. We can not save all those who put themselves in harms way. We will not be able to save all those who choose not to prepare themselves in the event of a pandemic, or bioterrorism attack, or job loss, or poor health choices.
Enabling victim behavior is not conducive to a healthy citizen, state or government. I realize there were a SMALL minority that truly were caught in this situation. My comments are not for them. But there will always be some caught as innocents. And we can NEVER plan for every eventuality.
As for the ants...my brother says that in the areas where the tidal surge was significant, that much of the ant population seems to have subsided. They are being found with a vengence a few miles further north.
After Hurricane Camille, some of the changes I witnessed, was the loss of the moss on the trees - it took decades to return with any signifcance. And loss of the palmettos. They just seemed to disappear.
As for the strength of the structures...of course, there are buildings that will withstand winds of that caliber in MS. However, many schools were utilized (because of size and facilities) and have been found to be of questionable safety. Here in FL, we have been rebuilding and retrofitting many of these buildings to meet criteria.
In MS, all along the Coast line, there is essentially nothing left within 1 mile of the water that was not affected. Almost nothing was left. Much worse than New Orleans. Slowly, they are rebuilding.
One other part of the fire ant and storms and inundation and .. and, story ... Why organisms 'seem' to be moving north... Even I have clocked this with an animal called Cicindela gabbi.
C. gabbi has been very happy in the warmer regions of Mexico and San Diego County but I have been seeing them in great numbers in Ventura County. Clouded butterflies are in Ventura when they rarely venture, on a consistent basis, from the deserts and Mexico. These are only two of the many non- charismatic -micro -fauna which are demonstrating climate change.
Ventura is above the "bite" of S. California and therefore has a cooler somewhat wetter environment.... or at least those have been the conditions of the past. The differences in their change to a 'preferred' habitat may really be that we are seeing the habitat 'move.' Insects are genetically tied to their season, their host, and their prey so they have less ability to physically adapt (mammals, for example, are comparatively more adaptable) and must follow those things that sustain their life. This 'move' is happening in less than 20 years.
As for the fire and or the Argentine ant, both of which are species that can handle more tropical conditions, if we are seeing these changes in California it is happening in New Orleans (and else where). N.O. will probably be re-infected by the fire ants from other areas. And, I would expect the ants to go further north, too.
But, I tell you what... let's keep watch and see what happens. heh?
p.s.
Orange County California has a special government division that has been trying to rid county of the fire ant.... They are still here...