For starters, HERE IS THE LINK to the Disaster Preparedness brochure from Homeland Security, developed in consultation with the ASPCA, American Kennel Club, American Veterinarian Medical Association and the Humane Society of the U.S.
|
Keep your pets’ vaccinations up-to-date. Have a plan. Know where your pets can go whether it’s a friend or family member, pet-friendly hotel, animal shelter, or boarding facility. Gather any relief plans developed by your local Red Cross chapter; emergency management office; or police, fire, health, wildlife and agriculture departments so you know where to turn for specific resources. Have a portable carrier for each cat, small dog, bird or pocket pet. Have leashes for each dog. Place your content information, including the name of an out-of-state contact on your pets’ ID tags, microchip registrations, and licenses. Prepare an emergency kit of leashes, collars, extra ID tags, water, food, medications, health records, and photos to prove ownership. Have on hand portable carriers large enough for your pets to stand and turn around in. Prepare a first-aid kit, . When disaster strikes a community, essential services like water are often unavailable. Have a "Pet Emergency Kit" that contains food, water, medicines, contact information for your veterinarian and an authorization to treat your pets, copies of medical records, pictures of your pets. Also have temporary ID tags that can quickly be filled in with local contact information for wherever you may temporarily end up. Make arrangements with a family member, friend or neighbor who will take your companion animal if you are unable to return home. Give them an extra garage door opener, spare key or tell them where a key is hidden. Type or print up an "Emergency Care of Companion Animals" card and place it in your wallet. The card should state the number and type of pets in your home and who should be contacted in the event you are injured or hospitalized and can't return home. It also should list contact information for your veterinarian. Small current photos of your pets are great to carry in case you get separated from your pet and need help in locating them. If you are at home when a disaster strikes, or if you've been given warning to evacuate, neverleave your animals behind! Make arrangements to take them to a family member, a veterinary office, an animal shelter, or, ideally, take them with you. My own that I thought of ~ keep in mind that if a window breaks with you inside, chances are excellent that it'll catch you off-guard and you may be sitting there barefoot in your own home. Keep a pair of shoes in each room that has a window. You don't need to have to walk over broken glass to get to a pet who's also walking on broken glass...you get the picture. Just tuck away a pair of something which you can grab.Make sure your pets are wearing a collar and ID tag with your names and cell phone number. Better yet, make sure all your pets have microchip identification and keep the registry current. Once you get to a safe location, apply a temporary ID tag with new local contact information (hotel, shelter, good Samaritan, etc.). Ask your veterinary hospital for a copy of the brochure, "Saving the Whole Family," or go to http://www.avma.org/disaster/saving_family.asp. While we're busy rescuing our pets, they are just as busy rescuing us with their ability to comfort us during difficult times. Stroking your cat, walking the dog or talking to the bird can help lower blood pressure, decrease stress and help lead us down the journey to normalcy and recovery. "If everyone is adequately educated and prepared to take care of the animals they own and evacuate them quickly," Childers added, "human lives will also be saved." Post emergency contact numbers at your barn or on your pasture fence. Have sufficient transportation available for all your livestock or know where to obtain it. Train your livestock how to board the vehicles. Create a list of neighbors within a 100-mile radius of your home who would be willing to board your livestock if you are forced to evacuate. Form agreements with neighboring ranches and farms to help each other with disaster preparation and evacuations. Know organizations in your area that are prepared to rescue and house displaced livestock. Involve your family and neighbors in establishing an evacuation plan for animals in barns and outlying buildings. Have a supply of feed at a separate location, which could be air-dropped if the animals become stranded. Make up a kit with leads, halters, equine and bovine first aid kits, quieting hoods for easy transport, and water. Keep photos and a copy of your ownership papers or brands with you at all times in case you are separated from your livestock.Providing a safe and healthy environment in which to rehabilitate and re-home abandoned, neglected, abused, or otherwise homeless dogs and cats; Providing a lifetime home, if necessary, for animals that are elderly, disabled, and/or have a chronic condition requiring specialized care; Decreasing the endless stream of dogs and cats pouring into animal care facilities by providing educational school programs and promoting the spaying and neutering of companion animals; Enhancing the human-animal bond through hands-on training and educational workshops.Rescue Resources in the Columbus, OH area
Central Ohio Greyhound Rescue A nonprofit all volunteer 501 (c) (3) organization that relies solely on fundraising and donations to continue their work. Goal: Promote greyhound adoption in the Central Ohio area. "Between the track and their new homes our local greyhounds live in foster homes where 'foster parents' help them learn the facts of home life and become familiar with the personality of each dog. COGR attempts to match dog’s temperaments to the lifestyles of the prospective adopters as much as possible. Our goal is to make permanent lifelong placements for our greyhounds where both the adopter and dogs are happy and to provide ongoing support to our greyhounds and adopters after the adoption."
The Columbus Dog Connection "is a 501c3 organization. We are a network of dog enthusiasts who rescue all breeds of dogs and puppies. Our pooches are rescued from abandonment/abuse situations and we assist shelters/humane societies by taking dogs from death row. We provide vet care and a foster home until a permanent home is found. Every dog that leaves our care is spayed/neutered, including 8 week old pups. We believe that allowing a pup to leave our care not spayed/neutered would perpetuate the problem we work so hard to overcome every day."
Pet Promise "Life for Pets. Pets for Life. Saving one pet won't change the world. But it will change the world for that one pet! PetPromise is an Ohio non-profit no-kill animal rescue organization comprised of a network of volunteers based in Columbus, Ohio. The Columbus Dog connection also has an extensive list of links to Dog and Cat Rescue and Shelter listings in Ohio."
Bark Park "BarkPark is a 501c3 nonprofit all volunteer organization that was established to raise money for homeless animals. In 2003 over $100,000.00 was raised by Bark Park to benefit animal welfare organizations. There is nothing more in this world my greys love more than to go to Bark Park!"
|
Are You Stressed Out?
FINALLY a write-up that's not completely psycho-babble, and reinforces what I've been saying since the Day After the hurricane....
Take a bit of time to read it through, it's got some helpful ideas!
NOTE: To make it easier to read without all the ads and distractions, find the "Print this page" link on the right side a few inches down and click on that. It'll give you a clean, easy-to-read copy of the article you can read onscreen or print.
|
"CLICK DAILY"
Here's an interesting and simply way to donate without personal cash or time outlay, if this is what works best for your lifestyle. It takes me literally less than a minute per day. Many of you have gotten some "forward" on the 'net about this, done it once or twice, then forgotten.
To see what this is and to set this up to do rapidly, first
GO TO: The Animal Rescue Site
 which is this link:
Find the purplish colored link (near upper right area)
 100% of sponsor money goes to charity.
and click on it. In doing so, you have just "donated".
How?
Again, all you do is click on the purple link box. After a slight pause, another page will display. You're done!
Of course, you can proceed as you wish (buy from the sponsors, etc.) but the point is, the "donating by clicking" part is already done.
How to make it super-fast?
I personally hate searching "Favorites", even when well-categorized. I've simply got too many of them and too little time. Look to see if your ISP software has any capacity to streamline things. Example: I'm on AOL so I utilize what they have to offer. One feature they have is the capability of adding some "favorite places" to the AOL toobar. I did this: I made an icon which links to the above "Click" site, labeling the icon simply "Click". There it sits on the toolbar waiting for me to use it.
Yeah, right I got too busy even to remember to do that daily! so I thought, how do I remind myself to do this without it now turning into yet another irritating naggy thing to do while online?
Turns out, the Click page has a link on the left side for a daily reminder service. Click on that link and it will take you to this page. NOTE when you sign up for email reminders, they send them Monday through Friday; you must opt for Saturday and Sunday. I did so.
The email arrives daily, the subject line reading, "Your (Monday) reminder: Help animals in need with a click!" and it comes from reminder@thehungersite.com. Whenever I see it, I am so reminded, and I immediately click on my icon on the toolbar that I created, go to the Click page, click on the purple box and bada-bing I'm done.
I then delete the daily email so that they don't accumulate and glut my incoming email lines (which also irritates me) and so that the next day I'll notice the new one because, well, it's there!
Takes literally less than one minute to do the whole thing.
See what your software can do for you!
And one more note:
What works for me is NO MATTER WHAT I'm doing, reading from my emails, fussing about, whatever, as soon as I see or notice that reminder email, I glance up to the toolbar, see the word "Click", and proceed. I DON'T put it off.
IF I don't do this that way, without compromise, I will see the email and forget to do it, get distracted, it's all over. That's me; you may be different. For me, it's like that Nike ad campaign says: Just Do It.
|
American Red Cross: 800-435-7669 Salvation Army: 800-725-2769 United Way: 800-272-4630 MercyCorps: 888-256-1900 Find the Donate Now dop-down box (upper right part of page) to select what you wish to donate for (including "Katrina Rebuilding", Peru earthquake, North Korea flooding, etc.); take your pick. Habitat for Humanity: 800-422-4828 America's Second Harvest: 800-344-8070 Feed The Children Craig's List Katrina link - go to http://neworleans.craigslist.org/ and see the red link on the left For more organizations on how you can donate or offer goods and services, visit Network for Good (already mentioned on Aunt Julie's site, above) or GuideStar. For a list of local resources and relief funds visit Council on Foundations. Presidents George Bush (the dad) and Bill Clinton's did a fantastic job raising funds afterthe Tsunami disaster and are going at things with the same intensity for Hurricane Katrina:FEMA Disaster Assistance (National Flood Insurance Program): 800-621-3362 / 800-462-7585 (TTY) . Evacuee assistance: Go to http://www.fema.gov or call 1-800-621-3362If you are trying to reach missing relatives in the affected areas, the American Red Cross has limited information about shelters and services through: 866-438-4636 See your own state's similar link (see "For other assistance", just below...)For disaster and hurricane insurance information, visit the Hurricane Insurance Information Center ~ a good link! For other assistance, try to call state and local organizations to find help. For example, the Texas Medical Association or Dallas County Medical Society might know where Hurricane Katrina evacuees can go for free or low cost immunizations or medical care in the North Texas area. State and local health departments ~ a very comprehensive list of links, categorized by type! ~ might also be good places to look for health services if you are an evacuee. Local churches and charities, including your local food bank, might also be good places to find assistance for your family, including things like baby formula, diapers, and clothing.The Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund (mentioned above) also offers Grants for projects to assist. Go to their main link and click on Apply for a Grant for details and the online Application Form.
The Angel Network Team
From the show Oprah on Location From Mississippi Sept 7, 2005
 Angel Network ambassadors John Travolta and Kelly Preston loaded up a jet and landed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with five tons of supplies. They came bearing blankets, pillows, diapers, water and food for the thousands of families that have sought shelter near the state capitol. Four 18-wheelers filled with food-thanks to donations from the Angel Network-met John and Kelly at a shelter that housed many of Hurricane Katrina's evacuees. "So many of these people have such hope and such life and such determination," Kelly says. "It's really beautiful."
Lisa Marie Presley also shares a message of hope for the survivors - along with a truck full of food and supplies!
 Lisa Marie Presley is lending a helping hand in Memphis, Tennessee. "I'm here," she says, "because I definitely needed to do something, and it just so happens this is where I'm from. I'm going to do everything I can. People need help-this is a huge catastrophe and everyone needs to stand up."
First stop is a food bank, where, with the help of FedEx® and Kroger®, Lisa Marie loads a truck with groceries. Then it's time for a pit stop at Target® for toiletries and clothes. "I thought I was going to grab a couple things at the store," Lisa Marie says, "and I ended up filling up a truck. I went a little crazy."
Lisa Marie's final destination is the Grand Casino Convention Center to distribute the supplies to people who have lost everything. One evacuee says, "I really appreciate everything Ms. Presley is doing for us. We have nothing, so we're very grateful for everything she's doing."
|
FIF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR YOUR PET, Petfinder.com has created a portal to enter all Hurricane Katrina-related lost and missing pet reports. Go to http://disaster.petfinder.com/ to place your report. This site is coordinating ALL information-gathering and dispensing. (Note dated Sept 10)
UPDATE OCT 6, 2007 The database is still in use.
|
FIF YOU ARE IN THE MILITARY CLICK HERE
|
Here is a list of many organizations and sites. If you are in need of help (or wanting to donate) please do check them out. Some may have already been mentioned or covered in some other part of this page.
I checked the links Aug 6, 2006 - Some of the write-ups are "dated" from that time period but all links are still valid.
Tuesday, 6 September 2005, 9:30 pm EST ~ HSUS is the lead national humane group working in Mississippi under the direction of the Board of Animal Health. Their support teams are setting up major staging areas in the coastal county of Jackson near Gautier and in Hattiesburg to serve as their primary operational bases.
Tuesday, 6 September 2005, 9:30 pm EST ~ The American Humane Association is working with a host of animal welfare organizations to find, rescue, and care for the hundreds of animals still stranded or unaccounted for after Hurricane Katrina. Many American Humane volunteers are caring for pets at a temporary animal shelter in Lafayette. Other American Humane volunteers are in New Orleans with boats, gear, and specialized skills to rescue animals in flooded areas. We're coordinating back-up resources to get more support to the shelter in Gonzales that is caring for abandoned animals.
Would you like to volunteer for the American Humane Society? "If you are willing to do dirty, hard, hot work on behalf of animals as a skilled Responder......." Click here and look for the relevant link to help out.
Tuesday, 6 September 2005, 9:30 pm EST ~ ASPCA’s First team is based at the Louisiana SPCA Staging Area (Gonzales,LA) and is currently in the City of New Orleans with a convoy from LA/SPCA, HSUS, Code 3 and the Animal Rescue League of Boston, with vehicles and boats. The second team is en-route to Gonzales in a mobile veterinary unit. Tuesday afternoon the convey rescued six animals from Mercy Hospital but they had to leave the area because of bio-hazards.
Tuesday, 6 September 2005, 9:30 pm EST ~ Best Friends and its sister sanctuary, St. Francis Animal Sanctuary, are setting up emergency housing for the animals rescued from metro New Orleans. Capital Animal Care, a Washington DC-based non-profit animal welfare organization is taking their state-of-the art vet mobile clinic to Best Friends Animal Society’s animal rescue operation base in Tylertown, Mississippi. Capital Animal Care will be deployed under Best Friends Animal Society’s disaster team leader Paul Berry to provide critical care and emergency vet needs. They have stainless steel cages for up to 50 animals, hot and cold running water, heat/ac, onboard generator and three fully equipped operating room stations.
PETFINDER.COM 's comprehensive "Animal Welfare / Disaster Emergency Response Resources" page:
Not only are there links but they're working on a database to aid the pets affected by Hurricane Katrina, and there's a link to their Message Forum.
Action reports: http://www.uan.org/ears/action_report.html
Tuesday, 6 September 2005, 9:30 pm EST ~ Today the ground animal rescuers will once again venture into the city along with other groups responding. The plan is to undertake door-to-door search and rescue missions to evacuate as many animals as they can who have been left behind. On Tuesday, we assisted Houston SPCA with the evaluation and intake of 60 dogs rescued from several Louisiana shelters. These dogs were in good spirits but smelled badly due to the unsanitary conditions from which they were rescued. Two of the dogs required immediate medical attention and one older black lab had both eyes encrusted from a bad infection.
CAAWS
c/o CAAWS for the Paws of Katrina Fund
P.O. Box 77765
Baton Rouge, LA 70879
Note from that time period: One hundred percent of donations received at CAAWS for the Hurricane Katrina fund will go directly to assist the animals displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
Tuesday, 6 September 2005, 9:30 pm EST ~ The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LA/SPCA), the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association (LVMA), the Louisiana Animal Control Association (LACA), and the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) are managing animal evacuations and recovery plans for New Orleans pets and displaced animals, which includes managing a hot-line for pets needing rescue, coordinating the activities or professional animal rescue volunteers and assisting with emergency animal shelter operations throughout the state.
Over 600 animals are being cared for at LSU’s Parker Coliseum, as they have received animals evacuated from five veterinary clinics, two animal shelters and from people who are located at associated Red Cross shelters. They are still accepting animals. From the write up on LSU's site: Hurricane Katrina Emergency Animal Shelter at LSU AgCenter's John M. Parker Coliseum. Visiting Hours for Owners Only: 8:00 AM until 9:00 PM daily. "Our Mission: To provide loving care and shelter for pets until they can be reunited with their families who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. NOTE: Rumors that we have run out of room are NOT TRUE. We have plenty of space and are still accepting animals. We will remain in operation as long as necessary to reunite as many people and pets as possible."
Hurricane information: go to http://www.vetmed.lsu.edu/hurricane_information.htm
One hundred percent of your generous donation will be used to assist animal victims of natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina. AKC CAR does not retain any portion for administrative purposes.
Mail: Please make check donations payable to the AKC CAR Canine Support and Relief Fund and mail to:
AKC CAR Canine Support and Relief Fund
American Kennel Club
5580 Centerview Drive
Raleigh, North Carolina 27606
Online: You can contribute to the AKC CAR Canine Support and Relief Fund online through an account in the AKC online store. If you have an account, simply log in and click on the Donate to Support and Relief Fund option. If you don't have an account, it takes less than 60 seconds to create one.
Phone: You may also call 800-252-7894 to make a donation to the AKC CAR Canine Support and Relief Fund.
Note: If you are looking to help or need help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, please email us at seekhelp@akc.org.
Note from that time period: This New York state animal rescue group is sending two vans and a 32-foot mobile animal rescue unit to the Gulf Coast to help rescue and care for animals affected by the hurricane.
Current online help link: http://www.nsalamerica.org/how_we_help/animal_rescue/emergencies.html
Phone: 1-877-4SAVEPET
North Shore Animal League America
25 Davis Ave
Port Washington, NY 11050
Click here ~ If you have heard of them, just know that they are "taking a breather" (they write: "We are now in a planning mode and taking a "breather" so that we can assess what areas we need to focus on next. Our resources are much reduced and public interest in this disaster is waning, but we feel we can still help animals affected by a disaster. We are taking some time to brainstorm about our next steps.") but I am still including the info. They at the time had a database of those willing and able to help Katrina's displaced pets and they worked to coordinate things to ensure that occured. Their posting on petfinder's forum at the time:
The grassroots Project Starfish http://www.projectstarfish.org , a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation located in Boston, MA, is connecting the thousands of people in the US who want to help animals displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
I am including them on my site so that they are not overlooked in case they go operational again in this capacity (plus they have an active site and suggest checking it periodically for updates).
 `1Go to: http://katrinafoundpets.com/links.htm Aug 6, 2006 note Go to their site and look over their current resources and activities.
Click on the Hurricane Katrina link which takes you to what appears to be just a donation page. There's a gem on that page: under More Information you'll see "To find the most up-to-date information about the Veterinary Medical Assistant Team efforts deployed to the areas hit by Hurricane Katrina, please click here." That link takes you to their Disaster Situation Reports. You want to know what's going on "behind the scenes"? These are a must-read.
American Veterinary Medical Foundation
1931 N. Meacham Road, Suite 100
Schaumburg, IL 60173
(800) 248-2862
(non-profit dedicated to helping animals during disasters)
PO Box 997
Placerville, CA 95667
(530) 622-9313
www.noahswish.org (There was a message at the top of the home page about it being overloaded and so on but the links work. Scroll down to the "Katrina Updates - Click Here" icon in the middle of the page.
They've got Shelter info and Disaster updates and the like at this link. |