When Paula and I evacuated for Huricane Rita, we headed to Ardmore, Oklahoma. People have asked why, given that there may have been spots closer for us to stay.

The answer is simple -- we were not going anyplace that we could not be certain that we could take Carmie, our beloved Beagle/Chow/Lab mix who serves as our surrogate child.

That is why I completely understand the point of this article.

All along the Gulf Coast, many people who didn't evacuate for Hurricane Katrina say they stayed because of their pets.

"You couldn't take the dog to the shelter, and I wasn't leaving my dogs," Wendy Morgan said two days after Katrina's Aug. 29 landfall. Morgan's husband, Clint, stayed in their Slidell, La., home with two dogs, braving chest-high storm surge.

Similar stories can be heard from New Orleans all the way to Mobile -- people who remained with animals that they view as family members, instead of abandoning them.

While it's unclear how many of the storm's 1,000-plus casualties died because they stayed behind with their pets, the question of how animals influence potentially life-or-death evacuation decisions is among the troubling issues Katrina spotlighted.

"People are literally dying because they won't leave their pets," said Anne Culver, director of disaster services for the Humane Society of the United States, based in Washington, D.C.

No, we were not going to stay behind and die. Hurricane Rita was going to put our house under at least 15 feet of water if she didn't turn (I thank God she die). But we had to find the closest hotel room which would take a pet -- and that was 400 miles away in Ardmore. We simply could not be sure that any of the designated shelters would take Carmie, and we were not going to leave her in a kennel or the local ASPCA shelter. At a stressful time, we needed her with us. She is our family.

What can be done to make sure people do not die saving their animals? Here are some options.

For those who stay in public shelters, emergency managers and animal groups have begun creating a parallel network of pet shelters.

That solves the problem of people who arrive looking for a refuge with their animals, only to get turned away. For example, a four-person family from Metairie, La., camped in a tent outside the Bayou La Batre Community Center shelter for a while after Katrina because their rat terrier Spot wasn't allowed.

"He's not just a dog; he is family," Larry Harris said.

One option is for owners to stay with their animals, Culver said, maybe separating cats in one room and dogs in another. More common, though, is an arrangement where a pet shelter is set up in a building a short distance from where the people are staying. Owners check their pets in and come back to tend to them during their stay.

Culver teaches a course on how to set up a shelter, encouraging emergency managers and animal groups to make plans well in advance.

Like a shelter for humans, a pet shelter starts with a safe building. It needs plenty of clean water and parking for people to drop off and visit their pets. Also key is a floor that can be cleaned easily, and for areas that could lose power, a generator is suggested.

Beyond that, Culver urges volunteers to gather a cache of pet supplies, including cages, food, bowls and leashes. Owners are urged to bring that equipment, but many don't.

"Inevitably, someone will evacuate and they will have a cat in a pillowcase, because that's all they can handle," Culver said.

Volunteers man the shelter, checking in pets. But owners are supposed to come and feed their animals and walk their dogs, meaning that large numbers of people aren't needed to care for the animals.

In many places, plans are already in place for pet shelters. A Web site tracking pet-friendly shelters found at least 20 counties in Florida have designated them.

In Charlottesville, Va., the local SPCA opened a pet-friendly shelter during Hurricane Isabel in 2001, said Nancy Hartman, an SPCA volunteer. Hartman said the group has a storage unit with cages, food and other supplies ready to go if the shelter is needed again.

Paula and I will evacuate when we have to -- but Carmie has to come with us. There are many like us. Disaster planning officials need to acknowledge that reality.

Posted by: Greg at 01:56 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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