Saving Animals in Disasters... continued

We can develop a plan that brings together all of the ideas and resources of our community together by meeting with your local Pony Club to the County and City Emergency Management Coordinators. Sign up for the Emergency Animal Rescue workshops and become volunteers to help save the animals. We also need the support of the state and local governments, and veterinarians to help them write animal disaster preparedness plans. Horse owners, stables, clubs and associations are a great source of that critical support.

It's time to fit it all together. California is putting their plan together. Oregon is planning the same. Indiana and Florida have already had working plans together for years. Now it is time for other state’s to take the required action for animal disaster preparedness.

If a flood, earthquake, fire or man-caused emergency strikes, the steps you have taken ahead of time to protect the safety and well-being of your animals can mean the difference between their life and death!

1. Have you ever been in a natural disaster that required the evacuation of animals?
2. If a disaster were to strike your home do you have an emergency plan that includes your horses and small animals?
3. If you were forced to leave your home/ranch do you know where you could take your horses/animals?
4. Do you have a trailer large enough to transport all your horses/animals?
5. If you could not return to your home for more than a month, do you know where you and your animals could stay?
6. Does your state need an Equine/Animal Disaster Preparedness Plan?

• FEMA Independent Study Courses
  Scroll down the page to IS-10 and IS-11
  http://training.fema.gov/IS/crslist.asp
  
• NIOSH Agricultural Preparedness
  http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/agriculture/
  
• Animal Disaster Preparedness Resources
  http://www.kingscountybt.com/CountyKings/animals.htm