Disaster Planning for Animals

June 9, 2011 - PRLog -- WASHINGTON, DC / BOYDTON, VA – June 9, 2011

Woof!  Hurricane Season is upon us and being prepared for disaster is of the utmost importance.  Animals in Disaster is an organized branch of Humanity Road, Inc. that is focused on crisis communications for animals and their owners through an innovative public awareness campaign.  This popular program is the first of its kind and implemented through social media.

In Twitter you can follow tweets by @RedCrossDog for pet news, health, safety and emergency preparedness tips with links to FEMA, Ready.gov, Humane Society of the U.S., the American Veterinary Medical Association, Red Cross and other sound resources. This information is reinforced on the Red Cross Dog Blog, as well as tweets by @DisasterAnimals for information about animals during a disaster.

First aid is critical for survival; we learn how to take care of each other, but what about the animals in our life?  What would we do without them?  For many, they are dear companions and considered as family members; for others they are a livelihood.  Whether it’s a family-owned business or big business, animals are important for our nation's food supply. Animals contribute to our lives in important ways we rarely think about and the safety of the human food supply depends on the health of food-producing animals.

“We also recognize the need to promote disaster preparedness for owners of livestock and farm animals, not only because owners may be attached to them emotionally, but also because of their importance to the food supply” says Toni McNulty, Team Lead for Animals in Disaster.  

Owners have personal and financial investments in their animals. For many areas and businesses, livestock, poultry, and horses are a vital source of revenue. Additionally, many families keep horses or other livestock for recreation or companionship. Much like household pets, they may be reluctant to evacuate without these animals.  

Ms. McNulty says “Work with your local emergency management agency and research your state animal disaster plan before a disaster to help protect livestock”.  The responsibility for the safety of animals ultimately lies with their owner or designated care provider.  
Toni McNulty will be sharing this message as a guest panelist at the upcoming BarkWorld Conference & Expo (BarkWorld) September 29 through October 1, 2011 in Atlanta, GA.  

“BarkWorld is the national pet social media conference covering all facets of social media, pet education, lifestyle awareness, and networking for the pet community. BarkWorld is an extremely important aspect to mobilizing the new media needs and efforts of the community, and to address the increasing challenges faced by the pet industry” Denise Quashie Founder, BarkWorld Expo said. For more information, visit http://www.barkworldexpo.com/

“We’re looking forward to participating in this year’s Expo” said Chris Thompson, President of Humanity Road.  “The program is robust and entertaining.  It’s a wonderful event and provides us an opportunity to reach more pet owners with key disaster preparedness information.”  

In the initial hours of a catastrophic event local rescue teams can be overwhelmed.  Understanding how to care for non-life threatening injuries is critical for animals as well as our loved ones.   Make a plan today and contact your local American Red Cross chapter about the pet first aid classes offered in your community so you can respond when the unexpected affects your furry friend.

Humanity Road and its network of global volunteers provide internet based disaster preparedness and response support to the public and disaster response agencies worldwide.  For more information or to donate, visit www.humanityroad.org.  Humanity Road, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization.  For more tips on Animals in Disaster visit http://www.humanityroad.org/AnimalsInDisaster

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A global Digital citizen’s action team educating the public using Internet and mobile device technology to deliver critical preparedness and recovery information before, during and after disaster.