Hurricane Sandy has the attention of residents and travelers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern sections of United States and forecasters are predicting that the merging of Sandy with two other weather fronts will result in a storm of historic size and duration.
Disaster planning that ensures the health and safety of animals–pets, horses, farm animals–is the responsibility of every owner. North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, along with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and numerous other organizations, have assembled useful resources to help veterinarians, animal care providers, and animal owners who find themselves in the path of this week’s severe weather that may require emergency response or evacuation.
As noted by in the AVMA’s emergency planning booklet, “Saving the Whole Family,” emergency preparations should include pets and other animals.
If you take pets to a shelter that allows them, you need to have pet supplies, collar with ID, up-to-date vet records, pet carrier, and leash. A picture of the pet is good to have. For identification purposes, it is also recommended that pets be micro-chipped. If there is no shelter that accepts pets, look for local hotels that allow pets such as those listed at www.petswelcome.com.
Travel-Ready Pet Resource List from NC State William Rand Kenan, Jr. Library of Veterinary Medicine.
The following links provide useful information for disaster planning.
Companion Animals
American Veterinary Medical Association
Hurricane Preparedness Saving the Whole Family
North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Protecting your Pets in a Disaster
United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
American Red Cross
Pets and Disaster Safety Checklist
Pet Travel Center.com
NC State CVM – Toni Poston, Class of 2012
Emergency Preparedness and Travel for Pet Bird Owners
NC State CVM – Dr. Greg Lewbart’s Aquarium Tips
Emergency Preparedness for Fish: Dealing with Power Outages for Aquariums and Ponds
Horses
NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (866-506-6222)
- Equine Disaster Response Alliance website
- Horse owner’s disaster preparation brochure – Equine Disaster Response Alliance
- 24 step disaster plan – Canadian Horse Journal, 2005.
NC State Extension Horse Husbandry
Hurricane preparations for horse farms