San Francisco remembers pets in earthquake prep
San Francisco is one of the most pet-friendly cities in the country, and when it comes to preparation for the area's notorious earthquakes, pets are now getting a central spot, too, The New York Times reports.
Although earthquakes and their aftermath are usually times of chaos, the city is preparing to keep people and pets safe with its pet disaster response team through Animal Care and Control, which adheres to a strict no-pets-left-behind policy, the news outlet reports.
The department of Animal Care and Control is encouraging residents to take their pets with them when they flee their homes for safety, and requires rescue workers to take pets as well as humans when rescue is needed. The news outlet calls this a "vanguard of a national trend in post-Katrina disaster response." Paying more attention to pets from the get-go means fewer end up in shelters or homeless after the event, which was an issue after Katrina.
San Francisco's emergency planners are preparing pet-disaster responders to transport pets to 125 temporary animal shelters and is mobilizing a $300,000 mobile animal disaster medical command unit to treat injured or sick cats and dogs.
Owners can prepare themselves and their pets for natural disasters even if the city does not have such animal-centric services, ASPCA reports. VCA Animal Hospitals reports keeping a stash of pet supplies and a list of emergency vet clinics is a good way to prepare for the worst.
