Federal PETS Act

While the following does not exclusively pertain to cats, it is of vital importance, especially as the United States braces for Hurricane Gustav.  In a follow-up to what Jenn previously discussed in Prepare For Hurricane Gustav: Support HSUS Disaster Relief, and what I discussed in Pet Disaster Preparedness I feel it’s important to point out a vital law that affects all pet owners.  When Katrina hit, so many animals were displaced, but not by owners who willingly left them behind.  So many people had to leave their dogs, cats, horses, and other animals behind simply because they could not bring them along.  The US Coast Guard and other rescuing agencies were not allowing people to bring their pets along because they had strict orders that only people could be rescued.  So many people, sadly left their animals behind and hoped for the best.  Then when Rita hit shortly after, even more animals were displaced, lost or otherwise presumed dead.

For days, weeks and months after the hurricanes caused billions of dollars of damage, and ruined millions of lives, including that of our four-legged family members, we saw countless tv clips about people who were forcibly seperated from their pets.  One such story is detailed in Pawprints of Katrina, a book I have spoken highly about in previous posts.  William Morgan, a double amputee war veteran and his beloved Poodle Morgan Le Fay were forced to the top of the roof when the flood waters rose above his second-story home.  Fourteen hours later, William completely naked, had managed to keep his dog out of the water long enough for rescue workers to come help.  They threw a rope to William, but he refused to take it until they promised to take his dog too.  They promised they would, so he took the rope, was pulled on to the boat, and then he was quickly wisked away, without his dog.  William was absolutely destraught and heart broken after the ordeal.  Not only had he lost his home and everything inside, he also lost his dog.  A few weeks later, with the help of Petfinders and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, William was reunited with his dog.

Nine months after the ordeal, William testified inside the Lousiana State Capitol to tell his story.  He hoped that the state would change its pet policy in regards to disaster evacuation.  On June 27, 2006, the Lousiana Pet Evacuation Bill was signed into law.  This law requires rescuers to allow people to bring along family pets during evacuation.  Following Lousiana’s footsteps, that September California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a disaster planning bill requiring officials to consider the needs of household pets, service animals and livestock in an emergency.  Then, in October, President Bush signed the Federal PETS Act, which requires local and state emergency preparedness authorities to include in the disaster evacuation plans accommadations for household campanions and service animals.

This hopefully means that people who have not evacuated before an emergency, will be allowed to bring along their pets, without question.  Though, as I have stated before, when you have animals, it is important to have supplies read and evacuate early to avoid any possible dilemnas.