Some buildings with fire damage.

Preparedness for People with Pets

Oklahoma, May 4, 1999 -- Urban Search and Rescue teams worked to recover missing persons after the devastating tornado. Thirty eight people were killed in Oklahoma and over 1,500 houses were destroyed.  Photo by Andrea Booher/ FEMA News PhotoPet Disaster Preparedness for Animals by the Red Cross
The best way to ensure the safety of your entire family is to be prepared with a disaster plan. If you are a pet owner, that plan includes your pets. Being prepared can help save lives.

Pet Disaster Preparedness by Red Rover
On this comprehensive site, you will find links to checklists like Animal Disaster Preparedness Essentials and help planning for specific disasters and for specific species.

Saving the Whole Family (opens new window)
This 16-page brochure by the American Veterinary Medical Association describes how to prepare a disaster plan that includes your pets and animals like horses and livestock. The brochure gives helpful tips about what to do during and after an evacuation.  This brochure is also available in Spanish (opens new window).

Preparing Your Pets for Emergencies Makes Sense
This easy to follow 2-page brochure from FEMA provides great tips to help with how to prepare, plan and stay informed in the event of an emergency.

Emergency Preparedness for Animals
From the city of College Park, Georgia, the article provides helpful steps and items to consider having on hand in case of emergency.

Disaster Preparedness for Farm Animals
From the Humane Society of The United States, this page explains why having larger animals means extra preparation in the event of a disaster.   You will find links to tips and specifics on how to take precautions.

Video: How To Perform Animal CPR

Veterinarian Karen Halligan, DVM, of the American Red Cross’ Los Angeles Chapter gives an in-depth tutorial on how you can safely perform animal CPR in an emergency situation.

Video: Joining Forces to Save Animals’ Lives

Make sure you have a plan for you and your pets!  This video by the California Emergency Management Agency, shows how Walmart and the American Red Cross partnered together to show residents in the west Los Angeles area how to take simple measures to dramatically increase their animals’ emergency preparedness.

Video: Pets That Cause House Fires

See this video by The Gardner Animal Care Center for a great example of how one determined dog accidentally turned on a gas stove and how to protect your home from a curious pet.

Video: American Veterinary Medical Association

Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief executive officer of the American Veterinary Medical Association, gives pet and livestock owners some tips on how to prepare animals for an emergency.

Video: Getting California’s Animal Owners and Caretakers Ready for Any Emergency

The California Emergency Management Agency, in conjunction with Walmart and the American Red Cross, sponsored a free animal disaster preparedness fair in Torrance, California on October 16, 2012.