Monday, September 19, 2005
Evacuations And Shelters
So here we go, another tropical storm that will probably develop into a strong hurricane by the time it reaches the gulf states. In my area it’s just a tropical storm and the prediction is that it probably won’t do much but still shelters are opening for people if they are being forced to evacuate or wish to.
And something caught my eye as the emergency management statement scrolled across the bottom of my telelvision screen.
A big problem during evacuations is what to do with the pets. This issue came to light, front and center stage in a big way after Katrina ripped through the gulf states and the levees in NOLA failed causing massive flooding. People not only worked around the clock to rescue human beings, they worked around the clock to rescue the animals. There were many people, as I said here before, who refused to evacuate or take the rescue because they did not want to leave their pets behind. If only there could be shelters that allowed these pets. Why aren’t there shelters that allow pets?
Several articles have been written addressing this very question.
The refusal to acknowledge the bond people have with their animals hampered the evacuation, since some people refused to leave. It also increased, exponentially, people’s loss.
Further, the official animal ban illuminated the class issue: Whereas Marriott hotels welcomed pets as part of the family, Red Cross shelters forced people to abandon that part of the family or to ride out the storm. Many people died as a result. Others remained for weeks in the disease-infested area…
... Let’s compare our nation’s treatment of animals to that of other countries: In France, official policy allows dogs in restaurants. One cannot imagine it would call for their abandonment during disasters. Do the French care more about their animals than we do? The photos of Katrina’s aftermath answer that: people on rooftops or wading or swimming through filthy water, having left every one of their worldly possessions, but desperately clutching their beloved pets. But U.S. official policy is out of touch with that reality.
In Cuba last September, more than 1.5 million people were evacuated to higher ground before a storm. About 20,000 houses were destroyed, and nobody died. The people were told to take their animals, and veterinarians were provided. Far from causing chaos, the evacuation of animals prevented it. The Cuban government did not have to deal with people refusing to leave their animals or force them to leave them.
However, I think we are starting to, however painfully slowly it might be, get the picture. You see, across that scroll tonight, after a very busy hurricane season where not once before has this ever been mentioned until after NOLA, a shelter was opened for those of us out there who have pets. The pets have to be in cages but there is a place to go now should it be needed or wanted.
All I can say to that is: It’s about fucking time. Now if only the rest of the nation would follow suit.
