09/02/2025
Twenty years ago today, on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the US's southern coastline. The effects were devastating, with an estimated 1,392 fatalities and damages in excess of $125 billion by late August 2005. Even today, if one goes to New Orleans, one can still see some of the effects, with water lines still visible on some buildings, and areas of the city which were never restored.
What - from an animal perspective - did we learn?
Possibly the most important thing that was learned was how attached people are to their animals, large and small. Some of the deaths that occurred were related to decisions made to not evacuate if they couldn't take their animals with them. There were also incidents where people attempted to get back in to rescue their own animals after they themselves had previously evacuated and Katrina had left. Sadly all too often, there were no animals left to be rescued.
From a non-animal perspective, it highlighted issues related to failures in unified management of a national response and command and control structures within the Federal government, despite the Incident Command System having been in place since the 1970s. These were reviewed and a strengthened ICS was brought into place which is now used in all disaster responses.
At a local, non-response-involved level, it raised personal awareness of the importance of having one's own evacuation or emergency plan in place and planning ahead.
The disastrous results of people not wanting to leave their animals behind - in particular pets - resulted in the passing the following year of what is colloquially known as the "PETS Act" - (the "Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006" to give it full title). This Act amended the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to ensure that State and local emergency preparedness operational plans addressed the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals following a major disaster or emergency. This is intended that small animals - pets - are going to be cared for in a disaster situation as well as service animals, with the further intent that this will also encourage individuals to evacuate or take necessary preventative precautions without having to worry about their animals. It also requires measures to be in place to care for those animals after a disaster occurs. The key stakeholders in implementing the PETS Act are states and local municipalities, as well as non-profit organizations and private companies, however it also enables the involvement of other entities if required. It should be noted that the PETS Act does not address Large Animals. The Act is not intended to support such species as horses, farmed animals, fish, amphibians, and other large livestock.
In 2013, Oklahoma experienced the terrible "Moore Tornado" which caused human loss of life, major property damage, and resulted in the death and injury of hundreds of horses. This brought into sharp focus some of the same things that were evident following Hurricane Katrina - in particular that there was no "Go To" organization or method to assist with large animals following a disaster in Oklahoma, and our group - the Oklahoma Large Animal First Responders - was created.
Disasters have terrible repercussions and sad effects, but they are also important learning mechanisms for recognizing issues with disaster management and developing systems to assist with future situations. Both Hurricane Katrina and the 2013 Moore Tornado were good examples of something positive coming out of very, very negative situations.
So on this 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the disaster response aftermath, we should remember those who lost so much, offer appreciation for those who stepped in and assisted, and praise the steps forward that were made to make preparedness and response more important and efficient for the future.
Today is a good day to review your own - and your family's - disaster preparedness and response plans. Is this something you've been "meaning to do" but keep putting off? Have you reviewed potential threats in your own locality? Tornados of course are always a potential threat anywhere in Oklahoma, so where is your nearest safe room or shelter? Do you have your important documents and personal medications stored in a way that you can grab them - and other necessary items - at a moment's notice? What about flooding? Is your home or facility in a potential flood zone? Have you got plans to move any large animals you have to safety ahead of a flood threat? If you have horses, do you have a way of identifying those animals as your own, should they be displaced during a disaster (microchipping is a very effective and efficient method)? Do you have your horse's registration documents stored along with your other important papers? Planning ahead is the key to improving the outcome of an emerging disaster, and as we say, today in remembrance of the horrors of Hurricane Katrina is a good day to start or review your planning!
(The attached image was taken during our deployment to the 2019 Muskogee floods, when we worked with our colleagues at ASAR Training and Response, in this instance to take feed to large animals which were sheltering in place in a marooned location).
