No Fido or Fluffy left behind: Louisiana develops animal evacuation plans

[DeepModem Mom]

No Fido or Fluffy left behind
Louisiana develops animal evacuation plans for hurricanes
Monday, July 17, 2006


After Katrina, some pet owners risked their lives when they weren't allowed to evacuate with their pets.

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (AP) -- A statewide plan to evacuate pets during hurricanes is being worked out by state and local officials, who are required to map the procedures under a new law enacted to avoid the problems that erupted after Hurricane Katrina struck....

***

The law requires the governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and their local counterparts to devise humane ways to evacuate and shelter cats and dogs during hurricanes. Service animals such as guide dogs are supposed to be evacuated with their owners. Household pets in carriers and cages will be allowed on public transportation if they do not endanger people.

State and local emergency officials are supposed to find animal shelters and draft regulations as well as set up an identification system so pets can be reunited with their owners should they become separated during storms.

Maloney said that, unlike last year before Katrina struck, pet owners will know where to find evacuation shelters.

State agriculture officials have asked operators of animal shelters, humane societies, veterinary offices, kennels, grooming facilities and other sites to provide copies of their evacuation plans by July 31 so they can be made public.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/17/bc.na.gen.us.petevacuat.ap/index.html

[Suich]

1. What a terrific idea!

I just hope it's not more bs.

[DELUSIONAL]

2. In a day with shitty news -- this is one bright spot.

Thanks for posting.

[melnjones]

3. family planning links for pets in a disaster...

http://www.avma.org/disaster/saving_family.asp#before (This one is really thorough)

http://www.ready.gov/america/_downloads/pets.pdf

[pitohui]

4. be cautious

note it says "fido or fluffy" -- it is good to do this, it is good as a start, but i'm not sure it goes far enough since it seems to specifically only cater to the four legged

a friend (who lost his cat to katrina when he was trapped out of town by the storm and his petsitter had to leave) -- recently learned that his neighbors lost all of their birds, as they too were on vacation (the storm occurred in august, vacation time, as storms will) -- animal rescue actually came to their house, picked up the cats and dogs that the petsitter had to leave behind when she evacuated and released the birds to die of starvation


his neighborhood was re-opened in december, when his neighbors returned, they found the dead birds that were still waiting for someone to come back and help them

i don't trust anyone to look after my pets, seems they pick and choose which pet is deserving of rescue even if they are already in the house!

i'm afraid i'm a great believer in bird smuggling, been doin it for years, when i have to evacuate, i smuggle the birds into the motel or hotel, better to ask forgiveness than permission, maybe i wouldn't be turned away in future, but maybe i would, not gonna risk it

[DeepModem Mom]

5. From the article: "The law applies to cats, dogs and other...

domesticated animals." I hope this means all pets are included.

[pitohui]

7. i hope so too but i won't bet my animals life on it EOM

btw, parrots even tho they are more intelligent than any cat or dog variety are NOT considered domesticated animals

[mike923]

11. Like you said...

If you don't want your pets to die a horrible death, take the responsibilty for them yourself.

[pitohui]

14. i agree but some people must travel in aug/sept (peak season)

i won't vacation in august or september again but some people must travel for work and don't get a choice

heck my own husband was v. nearly trapped out of new orleans because he was on a business trip, he got back in time to help evacuate on one of the v. last flights

all we can do is all we can do, so i don't want to blame my friend or his neighbors for the tragedies that occurred to their pets, my friend has already told me he has had nightmares abt it, he simply had no way to get back and save the cat, he was pretty much stranded out west not just for days but for weeks

and it would not be reasonable to ask the pet-sitter to risk her life for a cat when given a mandatory evac order to leave immediately -- she did try to take the cat but the cat was scared and somehow got away from her and time ran out

most of us do the best we can, i think

[Skittles]

6. it's about time

pets need to stop being treated as property when the overwhelming majority of us consider pets part of the family

[LostinVA]

8. You got it -- I would NEVER leave my furbabies

Even though some morans on DU have insisted I don't know know what I'm talking about and would.

I love them. They ARE part of my family.

[tabasco]

10. I don't have a pet right now ...

but I would have stayed with my old dog.

Ol' Moondog was my best friend and I never would have left her.

[LostinVA]

12. I wish more people understood how we feel

Even if they themselves can't imagine thinking like that.

I would especially never leave Punkers, my oldest kitty....

[rocktivity]

9. It's a very sensible policy

1) You don't use up time and resources recovering domesticated animals.

2) You don't use up time and resources recovering domesticated animal carcasses.

3) You don't have stray animals attacking other stray animals.

4) You don't have stray animals attacking stray humans.

5) You don't have stray animals attacking that humans who are trying to help the stray humans.

6) You don't have stray animals eating animal carcasses.

7) You don't have stray animals eating human carcasses.

8) You don't have humans having to kill animals who have developed a taste for human carcasses.

9) Most important, don't have humans being killed by animals who have developed a taste for human carcasses!

:headbang:
rocknation

[lonestarnot]

13. First good news I've seen all morning other than the second-degree

homicide charges pending from N.O.

[pitohui]

15. making docs afraid to give morphine to dying patients NOT good news

the DEA has caused enough pain and suffering, one of my friend's fathers was screaming to be allowed to die for a YEAR before he could get an RX from an oncologist w. balls enough to prescribe sufficient morphine to give him any quality of life

now even if someone is dying on the spot in a building that's 130 degrees then, too bad, so sad, next time the doctors and nurses will know to withhold any pain medicine

don't do me no favors, mr. foti!

[Bridget Burke]

16. Texas has a "Cancer Pain Initiative"

As do many other states. Many doctors do NOT do enough to fight pain. It's a matter of education.

Patients suffer because healthcare professionals and the public alike mistakenly equate the prescription of strong pain remedies with illegal drug activities. Physicians fear that state and federal investigators will suspect that the drugs being prescribed are being "diverted"' for illicit use.

In addition, physicians - and even cancer patients themselves - often harbor unfounded fears that strong pain medications will invariably lead to addiction, even when studies have proven it is nearly impossible for a cancer patient to become psychologically addicted to pain medication.

www.tcc.state.tx.us/tcpi/introduction.html

Some cancer patients may have considerable time left--proper medication will help them make the most of it.

But the situation in Louisiana was far worse. The media could get through. But not medical help--so the staff did what they had to do.