General Welfare

Animal Welfare in Disaster Response

Natural disasters cause massive animal welfare crises that are often overlooked in emergency planning, affecting both companion animals and livestock.

Key Facts

An estimated 50% of people who refuse to evacuate during disasters do so to stay with their animals
Hurricane Katrina resulted in the death of an estimated 600,000 pets and farm animals
The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act was passed in the US after Katrina to include animals in emergency plans
Livestock in disaster zones often face starvation, injury, and disease for weeks after the initial event

Welfare Considerations

Animals in disaster zones suffer acute trauma from floodwater, fire, and structural collapse, followed by prolonged suffering from starvation and disease if rescue is delayed. The welfare and human safety dimensions are inseparable: people who refuse evacuation to stay with animals put themselves and rescuers at risk. Integrating animals into disaster planning is both a welfare and a public safety imperative.

What You Can Do

Include your companion animals in your personal household disaster preparedness plan
Advocate for your local emergency management authority to include animals in evacuation plans
Donate to organizations like American Humane that provide disaster animal response
Volunteer with animal disaster response teams in your region
Support livestock emergency response programs in agricultural communities