州立农场®支持人道协会

在灾难中, 乔安妮Bourbeau, the board chair of the nonprofit Vermont Disaster Animal Response Team (VDART) as well as the Northeast Regional Director for The Humane Society of the United 状态s (HSUS), works behind the scenes to coordinate a response to keep animals out of harm's way. That means when incidents ranging from widespread floods to traffic accidents overwhelm local resources, 他们采购并建立临时动物收容所, 把宠物送到安全的地方，并满足它们的需要——比如食物, 水, shelter and veterinary care — until they can be reunited with their families. 但她不是唯一需要准备的人.

While ensuring the safety of you and your family remains the top priority, handling an animal's care is also an important step in disaster preparedness. How a family plans to handle its pets is often overlooked during the planning period, 这让一些宠物主人在压力大的时候手忙脚乱. "We never want people to be in a situation w在这里 they have to choose between their animals during an evacuation,波博说。.

而不是, Bourbeau recommends that pet owners tailor a plan and pack a survival kit to meet the needs of the entire family — including four-legged companions. Here are some ideas on how you can get started with a disaster-preparedness plan that includes your pet.

打包必需品

Three days' worth of essentials is a good rule of thumb to start; you might be asked to 掩体就位 或者被要求离开你的家，波博说. Having enough food and 水 for your pet — and the entire family — can make it easier to ward off emergencies that include stay-at-home orders or require stays in temporary housing. 宠物主人也应该考虑额外的药物, 宠物的应急包里有舒适用品和清洁用品.

简单点

家庭可以 包装用品 ——供宠物和人类使用——装在一个塑料容器里, 哪一件容易带出家门，哪一件容易装进汽车后备箱, 莎拉·斯毕德说, 宾夕法尼亚州动物应急小组(PART)执行主任, a statewide non-profit with county-based response teams dispatched by 911 throughout the state during animal emergencies.

定制细节

根据宠物的需要增加应急储备. 例如, some animals may require a restraint during car rides while others simply need a carrier. Families often include microchip paperwork to make it easier to be reunited with their animal. 斯比德说，对猫来说，猫砂和猫砂箱也是必不可少的. Consider adding toys and treats, which can lower an animal's stress during difficult times, she says. 狗可能需要一条皮带和额外的梳理必需品.

把它写下来

在志愿者加入波博的救灾小组之前, 她给他们的建议和给别人的一样:记下来 紧急救援计划 并与需要了解的亲人分享. That means covering issues such as designating a caretaker for the animal if the family must evacuate the home. "We require all of our volunteers to have a personal written plan that spells out w在这里 their animal is going to go,她说. “除非你有书面证明, it's hard to remember when you're on the go — and you won't be able to volunteer if your own family isn't safe."

准备一个备份计划——一个又一个备份计划

即使你有你的 应急响应计划 in place, having a backup is important in case of unforeseen circumstances, says Bourbeau. “我们总是想要B计划或C计划, especially for people who have a lot of animals or a wide variety of animals,她说. 回来up plans often include neighbors or others living nearby willing to serve as reinforcements in case loved ones are suddenly unavailable to provide pet care, 她补充说.

每年进行一次改造

讨论你的计划，每年重新打包必需品. 考虑换掉零食, pet food and even drinks and replacing them with items that have a later expiration date. Be sure to inventory non-food items for your entire family — including your pet — such as 水 bowls, 医药卫生用品. Speed表示:“将所有内容整合在一起并进行更新. 让它成为你春季大扫除计划的一部分."

来看看州立农场的灾难应急袋吧

When disaster strikes, finding help fast — be it for yourself or your pet — is essential. 在州立农场，我们让它变得简单了一点. 我们已经与VDART和PART合作了——很快就会, 在其他州分发我们的赈灾袋, which owners of four-legged friends can store and grab in case of an emergency. 我们不仅包括食物和玩具, 我们还打包了其他基本用品，比如可折叠的饮水碗, 狗屎袋和迷你急救箱. Our coloring book on animal safety even helps the kiddos relax during times of stress.

"The Go Bags have everything that families need to start building their own personalized disaster kits,波博说。, who has most recently distributed them in homeless shelters and food pantries to pet families in need. "It was a win-win situation to be able to provide families with this potentially life-saving resource."