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HSL HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS
GUIDELINES
Pet
Evacuation Kit Provisions
Pet
First Aid Kit Provisions
Mayor
Nagin's Evacuation Plan
Pet
Friendly Lodging
More
Evacuation Guidelines
Want
to Help Evacuate Animals?
Hurricane Katrina taught us the hard way that the safety
of our animals must be made a priority in the event
of a disaster. We know we must make preparations now--before
the storm-- in order to avoid chaos and confusion later.
The following guidelines are designed to help you make
these preparations to ensure the wellfare of your pets
this hurricane season.
1) EVACUATE WITH YOUR
ANIMALS! Acquire
appropriately sized pet carriers for each animal. If
your pet is unaccustomed to traveling in a carrier,
do some trial runs, so the experience will not be completely
new when you evacuate. Label each carrier with your
contact information, and the name of the pet inside.
2) PROVIDE FOR THE NEEDS OF
YOUR PETS DURING AND AFTER THE EVACUATION. Create
a Pet Evacuation Kit so that everything they need is
packed and ready to go in the event of an evacuation.
Click
here for our list of recommended provisions for
your pet’s kit.
3) MAKE SURE YOUR PET IS UP
TO DATE ON ALL VACCINATIONS.
Ideally, you will be able to keep your animals
with you throughout the evacuation process; but in the
event that they must be boarded at a shelter, vet, or
other boarding facility, your animal must be current
on all vaccinations to be admitted. You will be required
to show proof of these vaccinations. Ask your vet for
a copy of your pet’s vaccination record, including
a current rabies license and tag.
4) HAVE YOUR PET MICROCHIPPED.
We highly recommend this animal identification
and tracking system. A tiny microchip is injected under
the animal’s skin, where it remains for the duration
of your pet’s life. The chip poses no threat to
your pet’s health, and the injection is quick and
relatively painless, much like the vaccination process.
Your pet’s personal identification number is read
by a scanning device routinely used by most humane societies,
shelters, animal control, and veterinarians. You will
then be contacted as to the location of your pet. (At
the very least, have identification tags with your pets
name, your address and phone number, securely affixed
to your pet’s collar).
5) CREATE AN IDENTIFICATION
FILE FOR EACH PET. This is an insurance policy
against the irrevocable loss of your pet in the event
of a disaster. The file should include current photographs
of your pet (you will have to show a photograph to have
your animal released to you from a shelter, or other
holding facility; including yourself in the photos will
facilitate this process), microchip identification number,
adoption papers, a written description of your pet (feline,
female, 7 years old, grey tabby, 10 lbs, etc), a description
of your pet’s distinctive markings (white paws,
black spot on back, etc.), diet, medications, vaccination
history, behavioral issues and personality. Place the
file in a water-proof folder, and put it with your Pet
Evacuation Kit.
6) SECURE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR
YOUR PET BEFORE THE STORM.
Establish where your pet will be housed in the
event of an evacuation. Ideally, you will be traveling
to friends or family who are willing and able to house
your pets. For many of us, other arrangements must be
made. Locate pet-friendly hotels, boarding facilities,
and shelters in the area to which you will be evacuating.
Secure reservations for your animals if possible, and
get directions to the hotel or boarding facility. For
a list of websites featuring pet-friendly
accommodations, click here.
PET
EVACUATION KIT PROVISIONS:
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pet food ( 2 week supply; don’t forget
the manual can opener if you bring canned food!)
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water (2 week supply) |
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pet bowls leashes and/or harnesses medications
(including heart worm preventative, flea preventative) |
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pet carriers, labeled with your contact
information pet identification folders vaccination
history (including rabies license and tags) |
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medical history |
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pet first aid kit (see below for contents) |
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emergency contact numbers (your veterinarian’s
phone number, for example) |
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list of pet-friendly hotels, shelters, boarding
facilities |
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maps with evacuation routes (Contraflow
maps are available at Lowe’s, Home Depot, and
Walmart locations in the greater New Orleans area.) |
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pet toys, pet beds, and/or blankets |
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treats, litter box, litter, and scoop dog-poop
bags paper towels trash bags |
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flashlight, batteries and radio |
PET
FIRST AID KIT, BASIC PROVISIONS
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Alcohol wipes |
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Tweezers |
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Bandage |
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Cold Pack |
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scissors |
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Antibiotic ointment |
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Bandage tape |
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Iodine |
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Gauze pads (assorted
sizes) Conforming bandage |
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Latex gloves |
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Wash cloth |
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MAYOR
NAGIN’S CITY EVACUATION PLAN
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has written an extensive
hurricane evacuation
plan for the city. We recommend all Greater New Orleans
residents acquaint
themselves with the specifics of this plan, especially
the information that
is pertinent to the safety of your pets. To view Nagin’s
plan, go to
www.cityofno.com. The following quotes are excerpts
from the plan that
concern your animals:
1) Animals are not allowed in public shelters.
This means that shelters designed to accommodate people
will not accommodate animals. Other arrangements must
be made for housing your animals. For more information
on animal housing, refer to our Hurricane Preparedness
Guidelines.
2) During the Precautionary Phase of Evacuation,
staging areas and/or shelters will be announced. . .
. Because of the erratic nature of a storm, refuge locations
will not be pre-published. Tune in to local radio and
television for announcements of which locations will
be opened.” This means that prior to the event
of a hurricane, the general public will not be told
the location of sh more difficult for you to plan ahead,
so be prepared to acquire this information when the
time comes. Sources of this information will be the
Times Picayune, the local news stations, the Emergency
Alerting System on your radio (870 AM, or 101.9 FM),
the LASPCA, Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency
Preparedness, the Office of Emergency Preparedness (504-565
7200), and the like.
3) During the Recommended Phase of the Evacuation:
Bus routes and locations of staging areas for those
needing transporatation to shelters in or out of the
Parish will be announced via radio and television.
As with shelter locations, the locations of these
bus-loading areas will not be disclosed to the public
prior to the commencement of the evacuation process.
Be prepared to acquire this information when the time
comes.
4) Pets will be allowed to board these buses PROVIDED
THEY ARE IN CARRIERS!
Acquire these carriers ahead of time; make sure they
are the appropriate
size for your pet. If your on a budget, inexpensive
cardboard carriers are
available to purchase at pet supply stores.
PET
FRIENDLY LODGING
Please visit these websites to find accommodations
for your pets:
www.letsgopets.com
www.petswelcome.com
www.lclickpethotels.com
www.travelpets.com
www.peoplewithpets.com
www.petfriendlyhotelsandtravel.com
www.petsonthego.com
www.takeyourpet.com
www.dogfriendly.com
MORE
EVACUATION GUIDELINES
For a comprehensive guide to animal evacuation which
includes horses, livestock, birds, amphibians, reptiles,
and other small mammals, please visit the American Veterinary
Association (AVMA) at www.avma.org.
Other sites to visit for animal evacuation information:
la-spca.org
(The Louisiana SPCA)
www.hsus.org
(The Humane Society of the United States)
www.aspca.org
(The American Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty)
www.loep.state.gov
(The Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness)
WANT
TO HELP EVACUATE ANIMALS?
Since hurricane Katrina, the rules have changed for
volunteers who wish to participate in disaster relief
in Louisiana. The state is requiring that volunteers
undergo a certification process, consisting of the completion
of courses on emergency management training. Known as
IS 100 (Introduction to Incident Command System), and
IS 200 (Basic Incident Command System), these courses,
offered through the Emergency Management Institute (EMI),
are self-paced, and available on-line. With the credentials
provided by this certification process, the individual
volunteer will be given access to disaster areas, along
with other first responders. PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU
ARE OR WILL BE CERTIFIED, SO THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN A
DATABASE OF TRAINED RELIEF VOLUNTEERS FOR LOUISIANA.
For more information on the certificattion process
and IS courses, go to:
muttshack.org
fema.gov
la-spca.org
IF TAKING THESE COURSES IS NOT FEASIBLE FOR YOU,
DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED:
YOU CAN STILL HELP!
HERE IS A LIST OF VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITES
TO HELP US PREPARE FOR HURRICANE SEASON. NO CERTIFICATION
REQUIRED:
Participate in Events, such as Pet Carrier Give
Aways, or Microchipping and Vaccination Drives.
Help find homes for the Cats at Happy Tails,
or foster a cat yourself!
Be a part of Project Pet Link, HSL's new program
designed to help you formulate an evacuation plan for
your pets
Work on our PR Campaign to keep the public
informed about pet safety this hurricane season.
Volunteer at Camp Katrina, our grassroots disaster
relief shelter, and maybe provide a link to the part
of the website that deals with Tyler Town and Camp Katrina.
For more information about volunteering, and to submit
a volunteer profile, click
here.
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