Photo courtesy SCART
10:00am | In October 2006, President George W. Bush signed into law an amendment to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. The legislation was designed to ensure that state and local preparedness operational plans address the needs of people with household pets and service animals during and following a major disaster or emergency. The bill had been introduced in September of 2005, a month after Hurricane Katrina hit, and its passage was not finalized exactly in the hurricane’s wake. However, as a result of the water-in-the-face wake-up call to many of us, a good number of civilians and government entities, including our Animal Care Services, have been mobilizing across the country to ensure that there’s “no pet left behind,” as the legislation has been nicknamed.
Southern California’s potential disaster scenarios include fires and earthquakes as well as the possibility of a tsunami following a major quake. One local organization has been preparing itself since a year before the Katrina disaster, not out of prescience but responsibility and awareness. Surf City Animal Response Team (SCART) is a nonprofit all-volunteer SoCal animal disaster response team whose mission includes public education and training in disaster preparedness for families and pets, disaster response and recovery as needed and requested, and providing shelter and care assistance to animals, communities and animal welfare agencies affected by a disaster. In late July, Belmont Shore Neighborhood Watch block captain Eileen Nojima-Lazar organized a special meeting that featured SCART board members Julie Lapointe and Judy Durante giving a detailed demonstration and answering questions about what to do with pets during a disaster. Attendees were given an exhaustive disaster-preparedness list that included advice on buddy systems, an information sheet for each pet in the house, and everything that a dog, cat, bird, snake, hamster, horse or Madagascar hissing cockroach would need to survive.
Being ready in advance, Lapointe and Durante said, is essential. They recommend having a two-week supply of everything necessary to an animal’s survival and comfort. This would include a quart to a gallon of water a day for each pet, depending on size and thirst, and two gallons for each human; a two-week supply of food and meds; and a “READY-Pak” that includes, besides food and water, first-aid kits, ID tags, muzzles, treats and toys. Again, depending on the size and needs of the pet, the container could be anything from a Paris Hilton bag to a garbage can on wheels. A full description of what a READY-Pak should include can be found here, along with other handouts and information.
“Remember, your pet won’t act like its general loving self,” Lapointe said. Quakes, tidal waves and owner nervousness will affect pets in different ways, most of them uncomfortable for everyone. Make sure you have a sturdy carrier for transport—one large enough for the pet to stand up and turn around in. The presenters recommend a collapsible pen once the animal is stationary. Keep it open in the house and put a treat in it or toss a toy inside to get your cat or dog used to it.
Comfortable pen for pets. Photo courtesy SCART
Safe havens are as important as escape routes. Lapointe and Durante advised checking for animal-friendly hotels, although in emergency situations, many hotels will accept pets, as will places you wouldn’t ordinarily consider: shops, office buildings, etc. If you have friends outside the disaster area who will take you in, go. Bring your laptop or portable radio to hook up with emergency information. Red Cross shelters do not accept pets but will direct you to emergency shelters. Click here and here and here for organizations and information regarding emergency planning and refuge.
The presenters were emphatic about being ready in case you’re not at home when disaster strikes. Photos of you or family members with your pets and detailed descriptions of them are essential in order to prove ownership in case the pet is lost or stolen and recovered by any individual or agency. Keep copies in your car and in view at home. Keep a sticker on your door that says how many and what type of pets live in your home (SCART has door stickers available for a $2 donation). If you have grabbed your pets and are ready to run, scrawl “Pets are with me” before you charge out the door. Be sure that microchip information is current and that information on your pet’s ID tag can be clearly read. This includes rabbits, although we’re not sure what you’d do with hamsters or snakes.
SCART offers training from experienced team members in animal disaster preparedness, sheltering and several levels of search and rescue. The organization is dependent on the donation of funds and supplies in order to be effective. To donate, volunteer and get information about the organization, click here.
Virtually Pets
Sweet Jane
This little girl was found in a box next to a dumpster here in Long Beach. A good Samaritan delivered her to rescue and reported that her owners had moved in the middle of the night, and before that, Sweet Jane would be left in the backyard, crying and repeatedly and illegally birthing litters to be sold as “designer dogs.” Responsible breeders are as disgusted as rescue groups at this hideous cruelty. But Jane can have a happy ending at your house. Call (562) 897-5282 for information.
Casey
Casey is a female shepherd mix with a great disposition: quiet, sweet, eager to please. Casey came to the shelter homeless a single mom with four puppies and although someone has taken the time to teach her to shake paws and sit, they turned Casey and her pups out into a park with ribbons on their neck’s with names and “I need a home; do not euthanize me” written in block letters. The puppies have all been adopted—a joint effort between Long Beach Animal Care Services and SPCALA, but Casey remains at the shelter with the positive outlook of finding someone that will love her forever. Casey is current on vaccines and will be microchipped and spayed. Ask for her at Long Beach Animal Care Services, 7700 Spring St., (562) 570-PETS. Her ID number is A406251. For more information call Louise at 562-897-5282
Pet Projects
Pet Fair in the Park, Aug. 15, 9:30 a.m.–2p.m.
Surf City Animal Response Team (SCART) is sponsoring the 55th annual event featuring vendors, opportunity drawing, low-cost vaccinations and AVID microchipping, and pets at their athletic best. View the canine dream teams in the K9 Disc Thrills and Soccer Collies! At Mile Square Fountain Valley Sports Park, Field D, 16400 Brookhurst Ave., Fountain Valley. Click here for information.
The Karma Conference, Aug. 20–21, 8 a.m.–5p.m.
Registration is underway for Southern California Veterinary Medical Association’s conference aimed at veterinary medical practitioners or anyone interested in becoming one. Lecture topics cover oncology, dentistry, avian and exotics, veterinary legal issues, stem cell therapy, compassion fatigue and more. Check-in begins at 7 a.m. For registration information and member/nonmember fees, click here.
Fosters needed
CatPAWS, a private rescue organization, needs foster homes for cats and kittens looking for forever homes. Click here for information.
Itty-bitty kitties are being born and dumped on a regular basis at our shelter. If you have a time to spend with them at home, click here or here to find out how to go about it.
Long Beach ACS License Canvassing
Licensing for domestic cats as well as dogs is now mandatory and, like it or not—and we know that a lot of you don’t—L.A. County license inspectors and ACS officers will be going door-to-door to check to see if your pets are licensed. If your pet has not been licensed, bring vaccination and altering records, and microchip ID to ACS, 7700 Spring St. in Long Beach and get him or her licensed. Cats receive free licensing until Jan. 1.