Hurricane season has arrived in the United States again. A hurricane warning
has already been issued for parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast as the first major
storm of the season, Hurricane Alberto, picks up strength in the Gulf of Mexico.
And with four to six major hurricanes predicted this year by government weather
experts, it means new danger for thousands of pets.
According to the U.S. Public Health Service, if a tropical storm were to
strike the 12 coastal parishes of Louisiana this summer, more than 400,000
residents would be forced to evacuate, and 137,000 pets would need refuge,
overwhelming the local shelters. And that’s just a small portion of one state.
A study published this week by Harris Interactive found that one third of US
Gulf and East Coast residents surveyed say they do not know how to protect their
family and home from a hurricane. So where does this leave their pets?
Last year IFAW conducted door-to-door search and animal rescue operations in
areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina where evacuees were forced to leave their
pets behind, helping to rescue and relocate thousands of animals as well as
reunite hundreds with their missing pets.
Let’s make sure no animals are left behind—before the next tragedy strikes
After the massive destruction of a large-scale tragedy such as a tsunami or
earthquake, pets aren’t the only animals that need rescue. In many parts of the
world, animals such as livestock can be a person’s entire livelihood.
That’s why when you help
support IFAW’s Emergency Relief Network
you are also giving new hope to victims of natural disasters such as the recent
earthquake in Indonesia which killed more than 5,000 people.
Your support sends animal rescue teams to work with CARE (Center for Animal
Rescue and Education), a local organization based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia to
deliver much needed veterinary medical care and feed for displaced animals. It
helps evacuate animals in danger from the Mount Merapi volcano in Indonesia
where more than 10,000 people have recently been evacuated. It rehabilitates
hundreds of penguins rescued from a May oil spill in Argentina.
If we are going to successfully protect the animals we love then the time to
have a plan in place is well before a storm is bearing down. Help us make sure
that in the next disaster, no pet is left behind.
