Hurricane Katrina Spurs Pet Evacuation Bill
Five U.S. congressmen in September introduced a bipartisan bill
that would require states and municipalities to provide evacuation
plans for pets and service animals in order to qualify for federal
assistance.
H.R. 3858, the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards
Act of 2005, will ensure that local emergency planners have
a protocol for rescuing pet owners, said Rep. Tom Lantos (D.-Calif.),
one of the bill’s sponsors, in his remarks to the House
of Representatives. “Without a corrected protocol, pet
owners are unnecessarily forced to choose between their own
safety and the safety of their pets,” Lantos said.
In addition, Sen. Rick Santorum (R.-Pa.) and Sen. John Ensign
(R.-Nev.) have asked President Bush to appoint an “animal
rescue czar” for Katrina, according to the Philadelphia
Inquirer.
Several states already are creating their own county-based
plans to evacuate and shelter animals during a disaster, according
to the report. Plans call for such things as separate buses
for pets and their owners and the use of maintenance sheds
as pet shelters adjacent to high schools that house their
owners.
The Red Cross does not allow pets in its shelters.
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