One Thing Wednesday: Plan for Pets

DEM Blogger

June 10, 2015

The Do 1 Thing site won the Awareness to Action category of FEMA’s 2014 Individual and Community Preparedness Awards. It’s a 12-month program of small steps that you can take to increase your personal and household preparedness. Throughout 2015, DEM will feature Do 1 Thing items during our weekly blog post series of One Thing Wednesdays. Check back here every week for a new preparedness activity or tip!

For June, we’re looking at your household and what makes it unique. Each post this month will focus on a different aspect of customizing emergency preparations to the important people in your life.

If you’ve been following our site for a while, you’re probably already familiar with our pet preparedness plan and pet emergency kit resources. But disasters also can strike while you’re away from home. Your neighborhood might be evacuated, or you might be unable to get back to your home due to damage.

To prepare for such eventualities, consider asking a trusted neighbor to care for your pets if you can’t get home during a disaster. Make arrangements ahead of time so they can get into your home and know where you keep food, leashes, carriers, and other supplies. Also consider asking them to take your pets with them if an evacuation is ordered. Make sure they meet your pets ahead of time so everyone is comfortable with everyone else.