Disaster Tip of The Week: How to Prepare Your Pets for Emergencies

Pets are more than just animals. They’re family. When a disaster like a hurricane, earthquake, or wildfire strikes, ensuring their safety is as critical as protecting the other members of your family as well as your own life. In 2024, the U.S. saw 15 natural disasters costing over $1 billion each, displacing countless families and their pets. At Disaster Preparedness Blog, we believe preparation is power. This guide provides essential advice for pet owners, from building a pet emergency kit to crafting evacuation plans, navigating shelter policies, and addressing the unique needs of service animals. With these steps, you’ll be ready to keep your furry, feathered, or scaled companions safe when the unexpected strikes.

Why Pet Preparedness Matters

Disasters can disrupt access to food, water, shelter and veterinary care, leaving pets vulnerable. Pets left behind face risks like injury, starvation, or getting lost, hazards amplified by altered environments where familiar scents and landmarks vanish. Service animals, vital for people with disabilities, require special attention to ensure they can continue their roles. A solid plan reduces stress for both you and your pets, ensuring no one is left behind. The American Red Cross emphasizes that if it’s not safe for you to stay during a disaster, it’s not safe for your pets either.

Build a Pet Emergency Kit

A well-stocked emergency kit is the cornerstone of pet preparedness. Keep two kits: a comprehensive one for sheltering in place and a lightweight version for evacuation. Store items in a sturdy, waterproof container like a duffel bag or plastic bin for easy transport. According to Ready.gov, regularly check kits to ensure food and medications stay fresh  

Here’s what to include:

Food and Water: At least five days’ supply of pet food in airtight containers and one gallon of water per pet per day. Include bowls and a manual can opener for canned food.

Medications and Records: A two-week supply of any medications, stored in a waterproof container, along with copies of medical records, vaccination history, and your vet’s contact information.

Identification: Collars with up-to-date ID tags, including your name and phone number. Microchip your pet and ensure the registry has current contact details.

Comfort Items: Familiar toys, treats, or bedding to reduce stress. A photo of you with your pet can help prove ownership if you’re separated.

Sanitation Supplies: Cat litter, a litter pan, poop bags, newspapers, and cleaning supplies to maintain hygiene.

First Aid Kit: Gauze, nonstick tape, antibiotic ointment, tweezers, styptic powder, and activated charcoal for poison exposure. A pet first aid book is a smart addition.

Carriers and Leashes: Sturdy leashes, harnesses, or carriers to transport pets safely and prevent escapes.

For service animals:

Include any specialized equipment (e.g., harnesses) and documentation of their role to ensure access to shelters. The CDC recommends tailoring kits to your pet’s unique needs, such as extra water for large dogs or specific supplies for exotic pets.

Craft an Evacuation Plan

Evacuation can be chaotic, but a clear plan and a pre-built evacuation kit keeps you and your pets safe and ready.

Follow these steps:

Practice Drills: Train pets to enter carriers calmly and practice loading them into your car. Familiarity reduces stress during real emergencies.

Know Your Pets’ Hiding Spots: Cats often hide under furniture or in tight spaces when scared. Knowing their go-to spots saves time.

Map Evacuation Routes: Plan primary and secondary routes to pet-friendly destinations. Ensure you have enough vehicles or trailers for larger animals like horses.

Designate a Buddy System: Arrange for a trusted neighbor or friend to evacuate your pets if you’re not home. Provide them with a key, your pet’s routine, and kit location.

Prepare for Behavior Changes: Disasters can make pets aggressive or defensive. Keep them leashed or crated to prevent escapes or injuries.

The ASPCA advises never leaving pets behind, as they may face life-threatening hazards. If you must leave and can’t find your pet, leave an escape route like an open window to increase their survival odds.

Navigating Emergency Shelters

Shelter policies for pets vary, so planning ahead is crucial.

Here’s what you need to know:

Pet-Friendly Shelters: Some communities, like Miami-Dade County, operate pet-friendly evacuation centers that accept domestic pets like dogs, cats, and small animals. These shelters often limit the number of pets (e.g., four per person) and require owners to bring supplies like food, carriers, and leashes [Miami-Dade County](https://www.miamidade.gov/global/animals/pet-preparedness.page). Contact your local emergency management agency to find pet-friendly options.

Shelters That Don’t Accept Pets: Many traditional shelters, such as those run by the American Red Cross, do not allow pets due to health and safety concerns, including allergies, sanitation, and disease risks like rabies or leptospirosis. However, service animals that assist people with disabilities are permitted under federal law.

Alternative Options: Identify pet-friendly hotels, motels, or boarding facilities outside your area. Chains like La Quinta, Motel 6, and Kimpton often accept pets, though restrictions may apply. Ask if “no pet” policies can be waived in emergencies. Friends, relatives, or local animal shelters may also provide temporary care, though shelters may be overwhelmed post-disaster.

Shelter Safety Tips: At pet-friendly shelters, keep pets crated or leashed to avoid conflicts. Provide proof of rabies vaccination, as many facilities require it. Wash hands after handling pets or their waste to prevent zoonotic diseases, and treat pets for fleas and ticks to maintain hygiene.

For service animals, ensure they have proper identification and documentation to avoid delays at shelters. The ADA guarantees their access to all public shelters, but having records handy streamlines the process.

Special Considerations for Service Animals

Service animals, trained to assist individuals with disabilities, require unique preparations:

Documentation: Carry proof of their service status, such as a letter from a healthcare provider or training certification, to ensure shelter access. If you can, have copies of documentation to put into your pet evacuation kit so you don’t need to scramble searching for it during an emergency.

Supplies: Include their specific gear (e.g., guide harnesses) and extra food or medications in your kit. Service animals may need to work under stress, so prioritize their health.

Training: Practice commands in chaotic settings to ensure they remain focused during emergencies.

Advocacy: If a shelter denies entry, calmly explain that service animals are protected under the ADA, distinct from emotional support animals, which may not be allowed.

Additional Tips for All Pets

Microchip and ID: Microchips significantly increase the odds of reuniting with lost pets. Ensure tags are legible and include an emergency contact outside your area.

Rescue Stickers: Place ASPCA rescue alert stickers on your front door, listing the number and types of pets inside. Write “EVACUATED” on them if you leave with your pets.

Post-Disaster Care: After a disaster, keep pets leashed or crated outdoors—debris, chemicals, or wildlife pose risks. Monitor pets for signs of stress or illness and consult a vet if needed.

Act Now to Protect Your Pets

Your pets depend on you to keep them safe, and disasters don’t wait for last-minute plans. Start today: assemble a pet emergency kit, map out evacuation routes, and research pet-friendly shelters. For service animals, ensure documentation and supplies are ready. A prepared pet owner is a confident one, ready to face any crisis with their companions by their side. Visit our guides on building an emergency kit or creating a family meeting points for more ways to stay ready. Don’t delay—your pets’ safety starts with you.

The Major Things I am Doing Now To Up My Preparedness

Food Storage for Preparedness

In the last month, I have stepped up my preparedness efforts in a major way. I have always been well prepared. I keep a nice stock of many things. From Food, Water, Medicine, and other items. Below are the major things I am doing now to up my preparedness for my family.

Here is what I did to increase my efforts:

I purchased several more food grade storage containers (doubling what I already had – plus one). I use them to store rice and beans. This allows to me have close to a two-year supply for my family. NOTE: I actively use this food and rotate my stock in these containers.

I more than doubled my supplies of Freeze-Dried food stocks. Previously we had a 30 day supply of full meals including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. To that, I have added #10 cans of supplemental foods that I know my kids like and eat as well as additional fruits and vegetables to add to our food for more balanced meals and to have variety. I’ve also added #10 cans of Freeze-Dried meats, butter, whole eggs, scrambled eggs, and more. Each of these has a shelflife of 10 years or more.

I’ve added canned goods including various beans, vegetables, mushrooms, and soups. For these, I usually go off-brand or store brand for the lowest possible price. As an example, I was able to get Target brand canned beans at $0.49 a can. Also added was canned evaporated and sweetened condensed milk.

I purchased enough powdered whole milk for my youngest son to get through 3 months should he need it. He should be switching to less or no milk soon. We usually make homemade fresh juice as well. Currently, we have enough on hand for about one month but I will be adding to that (we use both fresh and frozen).

Things I am looking into:

Growing more produce and fruit at home. We have some fruit trees (Lemon, Lime) I want to add orange, avocado, and maybe something else. I will be growing potatoes, peppers, zucchini, peas, string beans, broccoli, and tomatoes. I will be trying this through a hydroponic system and potentially an aquaponic system. I usually grow the potatoes in the ground but I am going to attempt to grow them in a big container and increase the amount I produce with each crop.

Since I am lucky enough to live in San Diego, we should be able to produce almost year-round. I will have to let you know in future posts.

I am looking into purchasing a whole or half cow, pig, and goat. I have known about this for a long time but have never done it before. In the end, it is cheaper than buying meat at the store, I know the farm and animal it comes from, and provides me with a reliable meat source should there be supply chain disruptions or spikes in meat prices.

All of these steps combine to provide my immediate family, plus some extended family food for over one year during a major crisis or disruption.

What Are You Doing to Prepare?

I’d love to hear what you’re doing to prepare for yourself or your family. Share in the comments below no matter how small or big the steps you are taking are. What are you stocking? How are you storing them? How do you plan to cook or prepare the meals?

If There Was Ever A Time To Prepare, The Time Is Now!

I have been putting a call out to Prepare for a while now. The time is short, and, if there was ever a time to prepare, the time is now! We were well prepared before and I recently began scaling up our family preparedness efforts and put out the word to my followers that now is the time to stock up. 

If you can it is time to increase the amount of Food, Water, and Ammo you have on hand. Think about skills or items you can barter for other items or food. Have medical needs and take medications? Get extra. Work with your doctor to get more. 

Yes. There are many calls out there about buying Gold and Silver. You can do that, but put food and water first. Put precious metals second. You can't eat gold or silver and food during a crisis may well be worth more than its weight in the precious metals. 

Consider alternate means of energy use. Solar, Generator, or other methods for a grid down situation. I don't believe that a complete outage will occur, but the future may hold that we see rolling or purposeful blackouts in some areas. 

WHY NOW?

Political Contention

Several things are going on that are occurring and none of it good. First, the 2020 election has been contentious, to say the least. Divisions have not been this high since the election of 1876. No matter where you see yourself falling in response to the 2020 Election one thing remains true. Regardless of the outcome, the other side will be disenfranchised. 

Only two possible outcomes will occur. First, Trump will be declared the winner and remain in office. The second outcome will be Biden declared the winner and will be sworn into office. In the event of the former happening, I suspect that protests and riots will break out in the usual places and spread further than the riots of the last few years. This time around they will be far more disruptive and widespread. If the latter should occur tens-of-millions of voters up to one full third of the population feeling disenfranchised may take to the streets to protest. 

Protests by either side will likely be met with protesters from the opposition and have the potential to kick off a spark that fans the flames into full-scale riots or worse. Forces are working to see that this erupts. I am hoping that this does not happen, but it easily could in the current state of things. 

Great Reset

The Great Reset has been an agenda for some of the global powers that be for nearly 50 years. By its other name of Stakeholder Capitalism - a term coined by Klaus Schwab it is Anti-American and Anti-Shareholder Capitalism and aims to reconstruct capitalism into a newer better form (read Socialism, Communism, Marxist Globalism and redistribution). Don't Just take my word for it. Do Research yourself. PLEASE!

Though Klaus Schwab has been at this for decades and founded the World Economic Forum for this purpose, the recent SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic has ushered in new opportunities for them to act swiftly. Using COVID-19 as cover they and many of the global elite plan on adopting these new measures known as the Great Reset. 

While some claim the great reset is just a hoax - I can assure you it is not. Check the reference links below. It is already moving forward full steam ahead. BoA (Bank of America) has initiated a new framework of accounting methods for which the Big 4 have agreed, to begin phasing in and measuring Stakeholder Capitalism. The framework outlines 21 nonfinancial metrics to measure the "Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics" which also include, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) as well as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The Metrics are centered around the below four pillars: 

Reporting Pillars

I can assure you, though it has the name capitalism in the title - Stakeholder Capitalism has nothing to do with Capitalism. It is designed to rapidly increase the redistribution of wealth and punish people into submission (they aim to change behaviors they don't like through things like carbon taxes) and enslave the human race. 

Prepare Now

I urge you to take the steps to prepare yourself for what is coming. We have just days and I have already started making adjustments myself.