Volunteers input data as part of Louisiana's response to animal issues during and after Hurricane Katrina. Dr. Martha A. Littlefield, assistant state veterinarian, said the response efforts required volunteers with a variety of skills—not just dog and cat lovers. (Courtesy of Dr. Martha A. Littlefield)During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, many Louisiana residents refused to evacuate from the coast without their pets.
Pet owners with vehicles could evacuate to one of the three human shelters that the state operated in conjunction with animal shelters. People without transportation could not take their pets on most rescue vehicles, though.
After hurricanes Katrina and Rita battered Louisiana one after the other, state and federal legislators changed the rules—now requiring disaster responders to include companion animals in emergency plans. The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry has been working with the Louisiana State Animal Response Team, a nongovernmental organization, to develop procedures for allowing pets on rescue vehicles and to establish more animal shelters.
"Animal shelters have been part of our sheltering plan since the late 1990s," said Dr. Martha A. Littlefield, assistant state veterinarian. "We have increased the capacity of the pet shelters within the state, and information about pet shelters will be included at the state's information checkpoints during an evacuation."
Dr. Renée Poirrier, LSART director and a Lafayette small animal veterinarian said the goal is to locate an animal shelter in each northern parish that operates a human shelter during a hurricane evacuation.
A 2006 Louisiana law requires that state and parish emergency plans address transport and sheltering of pets. Businesses and other organizations with companion animals in their care, including veterinary clinics, must file an emergency plan with the parish and state.
One of the coauthors of the Louisiana law was Dr. Mike Strain, then a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives and now commissioner of the state's agriculture department.
"Since I graduated from veterinary school in 1983, I have recognized the unique relationship owners have with their animals," Dr. Strain said. "Katrina and Rita helped show the public the importance of animal disaster preparedness."
The federal Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006 also requires state emergency plans to address the needs of people with pets. In Louisiana, each parish must submit an emergency plan for animals to the state agriculture department.
Dr. Littlefield said veterinarians "have a unique talent for helping emergency planners nationwide meet the federal guidelines."
Dr. Poirrier added that, in Louisiana, parish directors of animal emergency plans have met to compare their approaches.
"It's good to listen to what other parishes are doing," Dr. Poirrier said. "We have very urban parishes, very rural parishes, and parishes in between."
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture, the Animal Care Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and LSART are working together to determine the best protocol for transporting pets. They are examining each aspect of the transportation plan, from pet drop-off locations to sites where owners can reclaim pets.
Members of LSART also are consulting with officials at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the state's lead search-and-rescue agency for humans.
"We know that when they go to take people this time, they will automatically take the pets with them," Dr. Poirrier said.
Dr. Littlefield said Louisiana animal responders, including many veterinarians, have been working to integrate training and communications with human responders.
"Credentialing, community involvement, and veterinary involvement are especially important," she said. "Veterinarians need to know who to call, how to prepare themselves, and how to help all animal owners to prepare for an emergency."
Drs. Poirrier and Littlefield speak this morning about Louisiana's implementation of the PETS Act.
