Residents Threatened By Southern California Fires Encouraged To Include Pets In Evacuation Plans

Posted by amy on October 24, 2007 in Los Angeles Base.

Jennifer McCarthy World Class Dog Training send thoughts and prayers out to those affected by the wildfires in California. Below you will find information on how you can help leave "no animal behind" with ways to donate, prepare and find emergency shelter.

SACRAMENTO (October 22, 2007) – As more than a dozen fires burn in seven Southern California counties, United Animal Nations (UAN) is encouraging residents to take their pets with them if they evacuate. Animals left behind during fires can get injured, fall ill, starve, die, and hamper human evacuation and rescue efforts. Families who must evacuate are encouraged to:

Assemble an animal disaster kit that includes food, water, medications, a leash or cat carrier, and photos of animals with family members to prove ownership if they are lost. Visit www.uan.org for more disaster kit tips. Identify all animals with a tag and microchip so they can be more easily reunited if separated. Make special preparations for large animals like horses. See our “Horse Evacuation Tips,” below, for more details.

Seek refuge in a hotel that allows pets. Most hotels and motels are pet-friendly, and those that aren’t often make exceptions during disasters. A searchable database of pet-friendly accommodations is available at www.petswelcome.com or www.petfriendlyhotelsandtravel.com. Leave animals with friends or relatives or board them at a professional kennel safely out of the fire’s reach. Find emergency shelters for animals. Some Southern California counties affected by the fires have established shelters for large and small animals.

For information on emergency shelters, contact the Office of Emergency Services for your county:

Los Angeles County, (323) 980-2261
Orange County, (714) 628-7055
Riverside County, (951) 955-4700
San Bernardino County, (909) 356-3998
San Diego County, (858) 565-3490
Santa Barbara County, (805) 681-5526
Ventura County, (805) 654-2551

“Animals left to fend for themselves during fires suffer terribly, and evacuees can compound their own stress by worrying about the pets they left behind,” said UAN president Nicole Forsyth. “For both human and animal safety, it is vital that every family include their pets in their evacuation plans.”

Through its volunteer-driven Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS), UAN provides free services for communities that become overwhelmed by natural disasters or other crises, including setting up and operating temporary animal relief shelters; evacuating animals from the disaster site; feeding and caring for displaced animals; distributing food and supplies to the community; and reuniting lost animals with their caregivers and finding new homes for unclaimed animals. Emergency management and animal control agencies can call UAN at (916) 429-2457 for assistance.

email to a friend | permanent link

Post a comment





(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)