Natural disasters including floods, wildfires, and hurricanes cause mass animal suffering. Preparedness plans that include animals save both human and animal lives.
Disasters cause acute and prolonged animal suffering: drowning, burning, starvation, injury, and separation from owners. Animals left behind when owners evacuate often cannot be retrieved later. Farm animals in flooded sheds or burn zones face mass mortality. Companion animals abandoned during evacuation face weeks of stress before rescue. Disaster preparedness planning that includes animal evacuation, emergency sheltering, and farm animal contingency planning significantly reduces welfare impacts.