Hurricane awareness tips
Plan for your pet before hurricane season: where to go, what to pack, how to carry and identify a pet, and when to bring animals inside. With sources.
On this page
A hurricane warning is a bad time to start looking for a place that takes pets. Make the plan before the storm season starts.
Decide where your pet will go
- If it is not safe for you to stay, it is not safe to leave your pet behind. The American Red Cross and Ready.gov both say to evacuate pets with the family.
- Many public shelters and hotels do not allow pets inside. Ready.gov says to know a safe place to take your pets before an emergency.
- Ask friends or relatives outside the danger zone if they would take your animals. Ready.gov calls this a buddy system.
- Call hotels and motels along your route ahead of time. The Red Cross suggests asking whether a no-pet rule can be waived in an emergency.
Pack and identify
- Keep a kit for each pet: food, water, medicine, a first aid kit your vet recommends, a leash and spare collar, and copies of records in a waterproof container.
- Have one sturdy carrier for each animal. Let your pet get used to it before you need it.
- Put a collar with a tag on your dog or cat. Ready.gov and the ASPCA also recommend a microchip, with your phone number kept up to date.
- Keep a recent photo of you with your pet, in case you are separated.
When the storm approaches
- Bring pets indoors at the first sign or warning of a storm. The ASPCA adds that pets can become disoriented and wander away in a crisis.
- Learn your evacuation zone and routes through your local emergency management office, and practice the trip with your pets.
The 2008 page also carried a talk by an animal behaviorist, who said pets pick up on how their owners behave. Staying calm helps your animals stay calm.
For the full guide, see Pet disaster planning.