Why plan for pets in a disaster

Written from the sources below on 4 October 2026.

The former Pet Safe Coalition began its education page with Hurricane Katrina, which hit the Gulf Coast on 29 August 2005. It recalled pets stranded on roofs and cars, and said planning ahead is how owners avoid the same fate for their own animals.

What the law says

In October 2006 the United States passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act (Public Law 109-308). It tells the head of FEMA to make sure state and local emergency plans take into account people with household pets and service animals. It also lets FEMA help pay for shelters that can take people with their pets, and for rescue and care of pets after a major disaster.

The law covers government planning in the United States. It does not replace a plan of your own. Ready.gov still advises every owner to prepare.

Planning with family and friends

• Talk about it. Pick a meeting place, name who looks after the pets, and practice the plan.
• Ask the people you would stay with if your pet can come. A pet that is a welcome guest is more likely to be taken in.
• Pack familiar food. A sudden change of diet can upset an animal.
• Keep your pet under your direct control in a strange place. A disoriented pet can run.
• Use a carrier or crate for each animal.

The old page told parents to speak calmly and to say the pets are coming too. That still holds. Children cope better when the plan includes the animals they love.

Next step: Pet disaster planning lists what to pack.