June is Pet Preparedness Month. Your pet is an important member of your family. To make sure that your pet is as ready for a disaster as you are, include them in your emergency plan. This means gathering the supplies they will need before a disaster happens and knowing how you will evacuate them.
This month, FEMA employees are sharing how they keep their own pets prepared.
Christina Villalba
Program Delivery Manager
Pets: German Shepperd, Goldendoodle and a Shi Tzu
“Have enough food and water in case of an emergency. Make sure vaccines and preventives are up to date. My dogs are microchipped and have a tracking device in case they get scared and leave home.”
Marieli Alvarez Ulloa
Recovery Coordination Group Supervisor
Pets: dogs named Aika and Akira
1) Keep yourself informed of any events that can impact where you are.
2) Make sure your pet vaccines are up to date.
3) Have a collar with a durable ID tag that has the pet's name and a phone number. If you can, microchip your pet.
4) Build an emergency backpack or tote. In the pack, always have a fresh 10-day stock of your pet's food and medication. Include toys for your pets. This will help them cope with the stress that an event may cause (lighting, thunder, power outages, earthquakes). In the kit, include a strong container (like a thermos) that will have inside of it a plastic bag with a thumb drive with a digital copy of the vaccine and medical records, and a printed copy of the contents of the thumb drive. You can keep your own important documents using this method too!
5) Have portable crates ready to go in case you need to move to a shelter.
Luther Wills-Dudich
Web Developer
Pets: Two Maine Coon cats named Spot and Angel
“We keep their travel carriers by the door and have a container of food ready to go for Spot and Angel. (Note: They don’t travel in the luggage in the photo.)”
Mitchell Harrington
Emergency Services Branch Director
Pet: Rottweiler named Barnum
“Barnum is properly fitted for a personal flotation device and is comfortable wearing it. He also has friends he can stay with if needed, as well as two weeks supply of food on hand.”
Yale Needel
Emergency Management Specialist
Pets: Two brindle boxers named Julio and Lola
“I have a 30-day supply of dry and canned food, treats, allergy medication, new toys, and an alternate place to house them in the event of an evacuation.”
John Barber
Program Delivery Manager
Pets: Two cats named Fergus and Duncan
“Our most common threat is tornadoes. The keys to our plan for sheltering for a tornado is that we have already assigned the actions required: who grabs which cat and which carrier each cat goes in. We also have assigned food to grab if we will be travelling. If we have to shelter in place, we have assigned separate rooms to shelter in, so the cats don't panic and harm each other. We each have an assigned water bowl to take to our individual shelter rooms. Each time we have a tornado watch or warning, we review the assignments just so we are up to speed.”
Diane Cooper
Emergency Management Specialist
Pet: Dog named Pumpkin
“I have a to-go bag for the Pumpkin that includes food, her medicines, treats, chew toy, extra towels, shampoo and dog bowls. We have a dog water bottle that has a flip down bowl to ensure she stays hydrated while traveling. Finally, we keep copies of all her medical records online in case we need proof of shots.”