Pets and Hurricane Katrina

[Catherine]

Hurricane Katrina was a real turning point in how we treat pets in a crisis. People were forced to leave their pets behind. I understand many people who refused to leave their pets died in the storm.
Many thousands of pets who were left behind also died.

There was a change of law after Katrina and now our pets get rescued when we get rescued.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/davidhgrimm/how-...nto-people

Never again will people walk away and leave their pets. Their special status in our lives is now recognized.

I am still impressed by the intense rescue efforts that were made by dedicated volunteers. They couldn't save every animal that was left behind, but they saved many

[LPC]

Very moving to read. A sad end for some animals, but so many humans worked hard to save as many pets as possible. The end result - a new federal law - is a great step forward in recognising pets as family members.

[Catherine]

There were a lot of tragedies with Katrina, but there was also a lot of heroism.
In the end people's thinking has changed. I think the new law is a starting point. Any disasters after Katrina have had animal rescues as part of the basic rescue efforts. Animals share our lives with us. They are entitled to be protected as much as we are.

[Tobi]

I am so pleased to hear about this!

[Catherine]

There have been a number of disasters since Katrina where pets were clearly a priority. I believe I read that they have emergency trailer shelters that can be moved to the disaster area to accommodate pets.

We had a large propane explosion in North Toronto(the fireball lit up the night sky and I slept through it) and people were moved away from the area for safety reasons and their pets came with them. There was no question about the pets. They were taken to safety with their owners.

I don't think people would be willing to leave their pets ever again.