florida’s animal disaster history

Florida’s Animal Disaster History

1st Major Animal Disaster

HurricaneAndrew

1992

Andrew History

700,000 evacuated 80,000 housed in shelters 175,000 people homeless 25,000 homes destroyed 100,000 homes damaged $20 billion in damages $10 billion cleanup costs

Personal Losses

Home Job Friends Security Pets

Forgotten Victims - Animals

People told to leave pets behind

Homes blown apart – pets escape in fear

Disoriented pets wandered from home

No ID on pets No system for

animals

MASH Animal Compound

HSUS & Citizens Against Pet Overpopulation

Six weeks Mostly volunteer

workforce Support from Army:

supplies, full-time vet, tents, security

Animal Statistics of Compound

600 lost, foster or owner give-up animals

About 2,000 seen by emergency vets

Most lost pets never matched w/ owners

30 day holding period before adoptions

FL Wildfires 1998

First pet friendly shelters open in Volusia & Flagler counties

First “DART” response State directed animal

response effort

Hurricane Floyd

Evacuation Nightmare Estimated 2 million

people evacuated from FL, GA, SC & NC

2 hour road trips took 18 hours

Hotels & Shelters full Not enough places for

pets & large animals (horses)

Floyd – “NC’s Andrew”

Florida’s 2004 Hurricane Season

Hurricane Charley

Hurricane Charley Community services

completely disrupted “10 mile wide

tornado” No storm surge Impacted along Hwy

17 corridor - Devastation across state

Charley - Animal Response

Hurricane Frances

Frances

Hurricane Ivan

Hurricane Jeanne

Hurricane Katrina - 2005

Katrina - LA

Katrina - MS

Animal Facilities Destroyed

FL Assists MS

The Animal Victims of Katrina

Animal Issues are People Issues

Not question of putting animals above people

Taking care of what important to people

Human/animal bond -more important in extreme stress

Planning for animals intertwined w/ planning for people if either is to be effective

Questions?Questions?