Sherry’s Corner

Who Protects Pets in the Event of Nuclear Disasters?

            In the case of Three Mile Island, the lack of planning for pet owner/pet evacuations led, after the accident, to a series of public meetings and community surveys, with results widely reported in the popular and research presses. These discussions also resulted in a number of statewide and community projects and efforts. These include a Pet Alert Wallet Card designed by Animal-Vues, a nonprofit education organization located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. The card effort was funded initially by Pennsylvania electricity supplier PP&L and distributed around the world after an article on the effort appeared in USA Today. These cards are still being distributed today at no cost by local animal rescue organizations (although a donation is appreciated). The original card had a red border to make it easy to find in a wallet or purse. The holder could write on it the names and contact information for caregivers. It also include the name and phone number of a veterinary hospital, location of pets in the home and how to gain access to them. The current Pet Alert Wallet Cards are more elaborate. 

            In addition to the Pet Alert Wallet Card, Animal Vues compiled the first small animal (pet) disaster guide, published by Bloomsburg University. The initial 32-page book, Guidelines for emergency pet care, had both easy-to-view and easily understandable illustrations and text. In a later copyrighted version, some of the instructions were modified after consultation with animal behaviorist Dr Sebastian Heath. 

            More recently, Columbia and Montour counties in central Pennsylvania have established a SART—a state animal response team composed of community volunteers with medical, organizational, and other related expertise and experiences to aid local communities in the evacuation of pets and pet owners to designated sites stocked with medical, food, and other supplies needed to keep pet and owner together in a natural or other crisis.

            Most recently, the nuclear disaster in Japan and stories appearing on the national and international news about abandoned pets have reawakened concerns for pets and pet owners. Japan’s earlier institution of the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen program through the work of trainer Terry Ryan in that country has aided rescue and evacuation efforts throughout tsunamis and other natural disasters. Canine Good Citizen program graduates are well-behaved dogs who have been taught to ignore distractions and be calm in all kinds of adversities.

            Crises like Three Mile Island, and now the nuclear challenges in Japan, offer valuable lessons learned to animal care, veterinary, community, and other leaders who wish to ensure that all members of an affected community receive care and shelter. During the Three Mile Island accident, the radio was the only form of information, panic was rampant, and there was widespread distrust of authority. There were eyewitness accounts of veterinary hospital parking lots swamped with free-roaming cats and dogs left there by their caring owners. The vast majority of pets were left to roam. Only the milking herds and the Hershey Medical Center research animals were protected—the herds were kept in their barns and the research animals were shielded underground.

            Finally, several studies and many articles have been written about disaster planning and pets since Three Mile Island, but very little since that time focusing on nuclear disasters specifically. This article goes some way toward offering practical advice but much more information is needed, as demonstrated by the recent crises in Japan. We should not have to endure a nuclear crisis to receive information about how to survive it, especially with pets—forewarned is fore-armed, and later/during a crisis may be too late for our pets.

What to do in the Event of a Natural or Other Disaster

Overall, pet owners should:

·         Ensure that their pets are car-trained and social so that evacuation to a community facility is less stressful both for owners and pets

·         Especially for dog owners, participate in Canine Good Citizen training

·         Obtain a Pet Alert Wallet Card and keep it on their person

·         Be prepared to quickly assemble supplies for evacuation to a shelter, including food, water, bowls, leashes and/or crates/carriers, medicines, bags and scoops for waste, a favorite blanket or something familiar to the pet

            If a pet owner must leave their pet at home:

·         Put a note in a front window near the front door/on the door about the presence of pets (number, type, ages, medical conditions, etc.)

·         Put pets in a basement or bathroom area with access to food, water, and a place to eliminate—typically, there should be a sufficient supply of food and water for at least 48 hours

·         If the confined space includes the pet’s crate/carrier, put a small basin of water, or, in the event of several crates/carriers, a small child’s plastic wading pool on the crates to protect the pets from radiation and serve as an emergency source of water