WASHINGTON - The Humane Society of the United States lauded the U.S. House of Representatives for tonight's passage of the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act, H.R. 3858, which requires state and local emergency management agencies to make plans that take into account the needs of individuals with pets and service animals in the event of a major disaster or emergency. The legislation passed by a vote of 349 to 24.
"The House of Representatives has taken an important step in ensuring that Americans will never again be forced to make an impossibly difficult choice: leave their animal behind while they flee a disaster or take their chances by staying in a disaster-stricken area with their pet," said Wayne Pacelle, HSUS president and CEO.
Representatives Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) introduced the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives a few weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, stranding thousands of animals who were abandoned during the storm and endangering people who would not leave their beloved companions. The PETS Act requires that local and state emergency preparedness authorities include plans for pets and service animals in disaster plans. Those agencies must submit these plans to qualify for grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The HSUS expressed its gratitude to Reps. Lantos and Shays for authoring the bill, and to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Young (R-AK); Ranking Member James Oberstar (D-MN); Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Subcommittee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA); and Committee Member Ben Chandler (D-KY) for supporting the bill and helping it move through to passage.
"The faces of the men and women stranded in the Gulf Coast flooding will be forever etched in my mind," said Rep. Tom Lantos. "The images of little children with nothing in the world other than the shirts on their backs still disturb me at night. But I cannot help but wonder how many could have been spared the wrath of the hurricanes if only they could have taken the family pet. Today Congress has taken an important step toward ensuring that nobody has to make that choice ever again."
A version of the legislation introduced in the Senate (S. 2548) by Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) includes several additional provisions, such as granting FEMA the authority to assist in developing the household pet and service animal disaster plans, and authorizing federal funds to help create pet-friendly evacuation shelters and to provide assistance for household pets and service animals following a major disaster.
HSUS disaster experts say that evacuations would run more smoothly if pets are included in pre-disaster planning. A recent Zogby International poll found that 49 percent of adults say that they would refuse to evacuate if they could not take their pets with them. "The human horror and devastation in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama was a tragedy we need to address, but it was also heartbreaking to hear stories of forcing evacuees to choose between being rescued or remaining with their pets," said Rep. Shays. "This bipartisan legislation is necessary because, when asked to choose between abandoning their pets or their own personal safety, many pet owners choose to risk their lives and remain with their pets."
Passage of the PETS Act coincides with the release today of the forecast for the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a very active hurricane season, with 13 to 16 named storms, including eight to 10 hurricanes and four to six major hurricanes.
Non-profit organizations such as The HSUS, ASPCA, Louisiana SPCA and countless local animal control agencies and individuals from across the country rescued 10,000 animals in Louisiana and Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina.
"Saving animals from the effects of a disaster requires planning by individuals and by government agencies," said Pacelle. "It's important to have pets included in government disaster and evacuation planning, but responsibility still lies primarily with individual families to plan ahead and be prepared. If it's not safe for you, it's not safe for your pets."
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization representing more than 9.5 million members and constituents. The non-profit organization is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals and equine protection, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy, and field work. The group is based in Washington and has numerous field representatives across the country. On the web at www.hsus.org.
