The list of natural disasters that Southern California could likely experience is rivaled only by the 10 Plagues in Egypt. Your household must be prepared to ride out the storm, be stable during an earthquake, and get as far away as you can from potential mudslides or landslides and flash fires.
If your family includes one or more pets, you’re going to have to do more than just grab them up in a carrier or cage and light out. They all have to eat, and they all need water, and depending on species, you’ll need cage covers, litter and litter trays, or leashes. Some pets will need medications, and all must have some means of identification, including microchips. Registering them with Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) is also a big help for identification and return of a pet.
Activities Planned for the Public
Graphic courtesy of the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications.
In the spirit of pet safety during any disaster, the City of Long Beach will celebrate Pet Preparedness Month throughout June with a variety of outreach and educational activities to help you incorporate all these needs into your own family’s emergency plans.
“Pets are important members of many households in Long Beach,” said Reggie Harrison, Director of Long Beach Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications. “Like us, pets need to be ready for a disaster but rely on their owners to be prepared.”
This Thursday, June 7, the Department will engage in what they call pet-centric business canvassing. Representatives will visit businesses that cater to animals and pass out information about pet-disaster preparedness. Information about mosquito-borne-illness prevention for pets will also be provided; one of these diseases is heartworm, which can cause illness and heart failure in dogs and cats. Heartworm in pets is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, an invasive species that was found for the first time in Long Beach last summer. (See “Heartworm in Dogs” in the Vet Is In column in the Pets section of the Long Beach Post.)
“The LaunderPet stores, including Wags to Whiskers, will be happy to work with the Department of Disaster and pass along information they provide about pet safety to our customers,” said Dara Samson, the company’s Consulting General Manager
Two other special events will take place the following week. On June 11, 12:30PM, a live streaming of a Department presentation, “What Goes in Your Pet’s Emergency Kit,” will be accessible on the City of Long Beach’s Facebook page. The presentation will provide information on items to include in a pet’s emergency kit, and other pet-related disaster preparedness topics will be shared. “What Goes in Your Pet’s Emergency Kit” will also be rebroadcast on the Department of Disaster Preparedness’s website; search the title to view it if you can’t see it live or are not a Facebook member.
Then on Friday, June 15, the Department will host a Pet Preparedness Scavenger Hunt in which residents can search for free pet-preparedness items to put into their pets’ emergency kits. Prize packs will be hidden around the city and can be found by following the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications and the Department of Health and Human Services on social media. Links can be found here.
“Our goal is to make Long Beach a safe place for people and pets,” Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said. “I encourage residents to take advantage of all of the activities and information that are available during Pet Preparedness Month to ensure that our four-legged friends stay safe in the case of a disaster.”
Organizations and Entities at the Read to Step In
Photograph courtesy of spcaLA.
Long Beach and the surrounding area have several organizations and entities that either focus completely on pet-disaster education or provide assistance and shelter. The SoCal Animal Response Team (SCART), centered in Huntington Beach, provides resources, education, training and assistance to individuals and city entities. The Disaster Animal Response Team (DART), an spcaLA special program, is an elite disaster-response team established in 1993. DART has responded to fires, floods, earthquakes and other crises, including hurricanes Katrina and Harvey.
“Through our experiences responding to such disasters as local fires and hurricanes Katrina and Harvey, we learned that reunifying pets with their owners can be difficult, exacting work,” reads a statement from spcaLA. “If done improperly, the chance of a lost pet being reunited can diminish. Also, animals can become ill or injured in the wake of a disaster, so it is important to maintain the health and safety by adhering to strict medical protocols.”
DART prepares for disasters through routine training and deployment of its team. In the event of a disaster in Long Beach, spcaLA will team up with Los Angeles County and our own shelter at ACS.
“Ideally, we would house the animals here at the shelter as much as possible,” said Ted Stevens, ACS’s Director. “We do have the ability to set up small-scale and larger-scale temporary shelters at offsite locations if needed.”
Rescues Aren’t Airbnb for Lost Pets—They’re Team Players
Photo by Budimir Jevtic.
Long Beach is also home to many dedicated rescues, but all of them—and that’s not arguable—are completely full of pets that they’re trying to get homes for and for the most part cannot house any.
“Rescues can’t handle more animals in the best of times, let alone a disaster!” said Deborah Felin, volunteer for Helen Sanders CatPAWS. “I would advise people to try to be somewhat self-sufficient, prepare ahead, and take care of found animals and their own as best they can. I would encourage people to check with rescues and shelters always if a pet is lost, as well as neighbors.”
But rescuers, if they’re able, will help an individual to find an owner of a lost pet or a landing spot for one. Breanna Dato of Educating Animal Owners scans for a microchip when any of her team members finds a lost pet—“most of the time, they don’t have one,” she said—and posts photos and information on lost-pet websites. ACS has a live Twitter feed, and Facebook also has lost pet pages, including 562/Lost and Found Pets and Lakewood and Long Beach Lost and Found Pets. Lost My Doggie is also an effective networking resource. Most rescues will use tools such as these to help reunite pets and their people under any circumstance.
“I definitely think that we would do everything that we could, but as Deborah said, we encourage people to take responsibility for their pets,” said The Little Lion Foundation’s Claudia Marie. “Be sure you have your microchip information, vet records and so on. I would encourage people to check rescues as well as shelters if they are looking for a missing pet.”
But first and foremost, stressed Roni Naccarato of Zazzy Cats Kitty Rescue, you need to have a plan for your own pets.
“If you can’t save your own, you can’t save others,” Naccarato said. “Make sure you have a plan in case you do find a pet. Know ahead of time you have a safe place to take them if you need to. Have a list of shelters and vets at the ready so you can immediately start calling for help.”
For more resources for and information about disaster preparedness for pet owners, see SCART’s resource page.
Points for Pet Owners
Graphic by PetSmart Charities.
Finally, here’s a summary of tips from Pet Sitters International:
- Plan your response. Recognize the different types of natural and man-made disasters that can occur in your area and address them in your disaster plan.
- Update identification. Make sure your pet wears current identification at all times that includes name, rabies tag and your cell phone number, since you will be away from home. [Note: Be sure that all your pets are microchipped, even the ones who are prisoners of love in your homes. For all the “But my pets never go outs” we hear, if they manage to do so during a quake or any disaster, this will help find them.]
- Find a safe place for your pet to go. Research your local community resources to see which evacuation shelters may allow pets, and find pet-friendly hotel options on your evacuation route. Ask your vet or search online. [Note: Remember—rescues and shelters aren’t pet hotels. They need to be as open as possible in case of emergency.]
- Stock up on emergency supplies. Keep extra collars, leashes, bowls, newspapers, trash bags, cat litter, litter pans and at least a five-day supply of pet food and water on hand. Store those items, a photo of you with your pets, and important veterinary and vaccination records in a sturdy, waterproof storage container that you can carry easily. Be sure you have a pet first-aid kit as well. [Note: Don’t forget meds, if any. Spcala recommends a two-week supply of everything and adds bowls, bedding and toys.]
- Get a carrier. Have a properly sized pet carrier for each pet. Carriers should be large enough for the pet to stand up, turn around and lie down comfortably. Make sure that each pet crate or carrier is marked with your pet’s name, your name and contact information.
- Identify a backup pet caretaker, such as your professional pet sitter or a neighbor, who can care for your pets if disaster strikes when you are away from home or if unforeseen circumstances prevent you from returning home to rescue your pets. Make sure the selected person is aware of your disaster plan and can easily locate your pets and pet disaster supplies in your home. Put this plan in writing as the caretaker may need to show proof of your permission to access your home in your absence. Include written permission to get emergency veterinary treatment for the pets in your absence. [Note: Be sure to include any special instructions for feeding and meds.]
“Toto did not really care whether he was in Kansas or the Land of Oz so long as Dorothy was with him.”
~ L. Frank Baum, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”