Natural disasters and emergencies pose acute welfare risks for animals. Advance planning for pets and livestock significantly improves survival and welfare outcomes.
Disaster preparedness for animals is an area where relatively simple advance planning produces enormous welfare benefits. The tragedies of Katrina — hundreds of thousands of animals suffering and dying from dehydration, starvation, and drowning — were substantially preventable with appropriate emergency planning. At the individual level, a 7-day emergency kit for pets and a plan for livestock evacuation or shelter-in-place can be life-saving. At the policy level, animal-inclusive emergency planning and enforcement of the PETS Act principles is an ongoing welfare priority.