Disasters including floods, wildfires, and hurricanes cause enormous animal suffering. Effective disaster preparation and response planning reduces welfare impacts significantly.
Disaster animal welfare failures are predictable and largely preventable. Most animal deaths and suffering in disasters result from inadequate pre-disaster planning rather than unavoidable circumstances. Evacuation plans that do not account for companion animals force owners to choose between their safety and their pets — a choice that leads both humans and animals to remain in danger zones. Livestock without emergency identification cannot be reunited with owners after evacuation. Wildlife habitat loss from wildfires and flooding causes population-level welfare impacts that persist for years. The planning and resource allocation decisions made between disasters determine welfare outcomes when disasters strike.