Natural disasters, including floods, wildfires, and droughts, cause enormous animal suffering. Disaster preparedness planning that includes animals saves lives and reduces suffering for both animals and their human caregivers.
Disaster preparedness for animals has historically been an afterthought - evacuation plans focused on humans, shelters refused animals, and livestock were left to perish. The welfare consequences of this approach have been enormous and well-documented. Post-Katrina research fundamentally changed how emergency planners think about animals, recognizing that people-animal bonds are strong enough to affect human behavior during evacuations. Integrating animal welfare into disaster planning is not just morally right - it is practically necessary for effective emergency management. For individual owners, having a disaster plan that includes pets and livestock is a basic responsibility. For policymakers, ensuring shelters can accept animals and that evacuation assistance reaches livestock owners is essential.