How can I Help?

Our animals depend on us; take the time to have a disaster plan, a disaster supply kit, and an evacuation plan for your family and your animals. For more information on how to do this, visit Disaster Preparedness for Pets, for Horses, and for Livestock.

Promote standard safety messages about animals in disasters: If it's not safe for you, it's not safe for them. If you evacuate, take your animals with you. Refute incorrect messages, particularly any that advise people to leave their companion animals behind.

Get to know your local emergency management, as well as local organizations that might be able to help people with animals during a disaster. Explain that any disaster plan that does not include animals will not work for people and that helping peope with their animals will provide an extra margin of safety for their fire and rescue personnel. Work with them -- we will help -- to set up animal-friendly preparedness, evacuation, and sheltering options in your community.

Talk with a trusted neighbor and work out a plan to take care of each others animals if you are not home when an emergency strikes.

To get practical experience, volunteer at your local animal shelter to learn animal care and handling skills and talk with your local emergency management and other disaster organizations (including volunteer groups of all kinds) to offer your help.

Prepare yourself to help animals in a disaster by taking the classes listed here. Once you have taken several of these courses, particularly the FEMA Independent Study Programs, visit the HSUS Animal Disaster Response Training Calendar to see when and where you can take the HSUS disaster courses.

Finally, to learn more about the HSUS Disaster Animal Response Team, visit www.ndart.org. You may also submit your application for the National Disaster Animal Response Team at this site.

Thank you very much for your support and for caring about the animals.