Before Disaster Strikes
A Guide to Animal Emergency Preparedness
From fires to floods, today’s reality is no longer if a disaster will strike, but when. The good news is that the right preparation can keep your entire family–whether they have fur, feathers, scales or hoovessafe during a crisis.
The California Veterinary Emergency Team (CVET), a unit administered by the school’s One Health Institute, supports and trains a network of government agencies, individuals and organizations to aid domestic animals and livestock during emergencies. They recommend hoping for the best but preparing for the worst when it comes to disaster situations.
What you can do to prepare:
Plan Ahead
Disasters can unfold at staggering speed, leaving barely any time to create a plan. Lack of preparation often results in animals becoming lost or abandoned during evacuations. Even if you manage to take your animals with you, emergency facilities and shelters can’t always accept them. Planning for a disaster ahead of time gives you the best chance of staying together when one occurs.
“There’s always the illusion that you have time,” said Dr. Ashley Patterson, Associate Director of Operations for CVET. “In reality, a disaster could happen tomorrow, and they often strike when you least expect them, like in the middle of the night.”
Gather Essentials
Leaving early with animals is essential. Horses and livestock are usually harder to move than household pets like dogs and cats. However, if you need to evacuate with any animal, do not wait.
Remember that animals sense danger. They may run away, hide, or resist capture or loading, delaying evacuation. While you are spending extra time trying to extract Fluffy from under the bed, roads may close and conditions may worsen, putting you and your pets in danger.
Coordinate with your neighbors to retrieve your animals if you are not Coordinate with your neighbors to retrieve your animals if you are not home when an evacuation order is issued. home when an evacuation order is issued.
There’s always the illusion that you have time. In reality, a disaster could happen tomorrow, and they often strike when you least expect them, like in the middle of the night.”
—Dr. Ashley Patterson, Associate Director of Operations for CVET
Prepare and Practice
Planning for emergencies can seem overwhelming, but gathering some basic items is an easy place to start.
Creating a “go-bag” for each of your animals allows for quick evacuation. These should include:
- Identification
- Food and water for 3–7 days
- Medications and vaccination records
- Veterinary and personal contact information
- Species-specific needs such as leashes, carriers, bedding, litter, toys, fish aerators, livestock halters, and rabbit enclosures
Once created, store “go-bags”, carriers and other essential items in an area that is easy to access. Make sure your neighbors know where your supplies are stored, have access to your property, and know where to find your animals.
Proper identification is essential, especially if you are separated from your animals during an evacuation. Ensure that tags and microchips are up to date with your current contact information. Take selfies with your pets and store them in “go-bags” and on your phone.
“As a veterinarian, one of the main things I hope people will communicate is their contact information,” said CVET Disaster Management Veterinarian Briana Hamamoto, DVM ’22. “It is hard to track someone down during a disaster, so having a current phone number is ideal.”
Evacuate Early
Take the time to prepare for different scenarios by planning and practicing more than one evacuation route. Share your plans with friends, family, and neighbors. Consider the logistics of evacuating your pets without relying on too much assistance, which may not be available in an emergency.
“Red flag days”, which indicate heightened chances of rapidly growing wildfires are good opportunities to practice your evacuation plans. Load your animals and gather with friends and neighbors at a designated meeting location. Although this is often emphasized for horses and livestock, it is equally important for your dogs, cats, and pocket pets to be familiar with traveling in a vehicle.
“You can never expect anything to go smoothly during an evacuation,” said CVET Operational Specialist Kimberly Carlson. “There is no such thing as too much practice.”
Know which local shelters, hotels, and boarding facilities accept pets and familiarize yourself with the routes to get there. Consider evacuating even before an official order.
Seek Community Support
Planning ahead also means knowing what to do in the worst-case scenario that you are separated from your animals. Explore the resources available through your county Office of Emergency Services, local Humane Society, and Animal Control. In the event of a disaster, these are the agencies that coordinate centralized emergency response activities. Local agencies are responsible for sending alerts and warnings to residents.
Sign up for Public Safety Alerts and Warnings and Wireless Emergency Alerts in your area. Some counties have community registries to alert emergency responders of unique needs, including domesticated animals that will need sheltering, large livestock or agricultural animals that will need evacuation, or the presence of Certified Service Animals in your home. If this is available in your area, consider submitting your information.
In a disaster, your community can be your pets’ lifeline. Talk to your neighbors about starting a WhatsApp or Facebook group to facilitate information exchange during an emergency. Find out if you have a local Community Animal Response Team (CART)—and consider starting one if you don’t!
Follow trusted sources on social media to get helpful, accurate information before, during, and after disasters. These include local agencies, CARTs, and other organizations such as the Horse and Livestock Team Emergency (HALTER) Project, a grassroots organization dedicated to helping animals in everyday emergencies. Call Animal Control or another community resource if you come across a lost animal during an emergency. If you don’t know who the owner is, it is best to put the animal in the control of the county so they have the best chance of being reunited.
Care and Recovery
Animals that survive disasters may suffer from smoke inhalation, burns, dehydration, or trauma. Seek veterinary care immediately for any of these issues from clinics that offer emergency or mobile vet services. Remember that local practices may be affected by the disaster, so you may need to look for open clinics outside your area. Keep an eye on your pets for stress-related behaviors such as hiding, aggression, and lack of appetite.
Disasters are unpredictable, but your response doesn't have to be. With the right preparation, you can give your pets the best chance to stay safe and stay with you.
CVET Services
CVET’s mission is to lead collaborative veterinary response to provide exceptional and compassionate care for animals and their families during disasters. CVET can provide veterinary support to a wide array of disaster response operations, including:
- Veterinary care of sheltered animals
- Emergency triage and assessment, wound care, and hospitalization
- Field veterinary support for animal services and response teams
- Preventive medicine for reduction of disease spread
- Euthanasia services (field and shelter)
- Animal response coordination support
- Coordination with local and regional veterinary practices
- Other services as requested
CVET is a state resource and can only be deployed directly to a county with state request and approval. For more information on requesting assistance, or for questions about planning, training, exercises, and other veterinary preparedness efforts, contact CVET or call 1-844-UCD-CVET (823-2838).
Interested in joining CVET? Complete the Responder Interest Form or Affiliate Hospital Survey here.
Helpful Resources
- ASPCA Disaster Preparedness
- AVMA Disaster Preparedness
- CalFire Wildfire Preparation Plan
- Cal OES Animal Preparedness
- HALTER Project