Haisley, left, and other animal rescuers in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. It took them an hour to capture this frightened pitbull, who was found floating on a crate in flood waters.

It's the eyes that still haunt Scotlund Haisley—the eyes of more than 1,000 animals he rescued in post-Katrina New Orleans.

These were the vacant eyes of pets who had become refugees, lost and terrified in a world blown asunder.

Nothing in Haisley's long experience prepared him for the magnitude of suffering of Katrina's animal victims.

A well-known leader in the animal welfare community, Haisley is an expert in rescue and sheltering. He is a pioneer in the designing of new shelters and a pathfinder in modernizing protocols for animal care. His commitment to animals can be seen in legacy programs he created from New York to San Francisco, from Washington, D.C., to India.

Then came Katrina. The vacant, forlorn eyes that faced him during that ordeal affirmed every bit of devotion and tested every ounce of his energy. Ask him why he has made his life's work to assist animals in need and he'll tell you: just imagine those eyes—hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of them. Alone in a hostile world, where does a dog, a cat, turn after a hurricane?

This month—after more than six years as executive director of the renowned Washington Animal Rescue League—where he designed and built a facility known around the world for its innovations, Haisley assumed new responsibility as senior director of Disaster Services for The HSUS.

In this post, he leads the nation's most talented team of experts in disaster rescue, sheltering, training and logistical support. During the past year, the 18-member HSUS Disaster Services strike team has helped more than 16,000 animals all across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The team has mobilized to help animals in hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, hoarding cases, puppy mills and other instances of animals in crisis.

Below, Haisley answers questions about his background, The HSUS' Disaster Services department, and how each family with animals should prepare for disasters.

Q: Why should we care about animals and disaster response?

A: A lot of people died in Hurricane Katrina because they didn't want to leave their animals. Animals and people are connected. Secondly, because when we adopt a companion animal, we are making a lifelong commitment to the animal. Animals are members of our families and should be treated that way. And since we domesticated them, we have a responsibility to care for them in all situations, not the least of which are disasters.

Q: What kinds of situations do your teams respond to at The HSUS?

A: We respond to natural and human-caused disasters. Some of these include hoarding situations and puppy mills, and other facilities and dwellings where animals are kept in horrid and inhumane conditions and need to be removed. This department is designed for the abandoned, abused and forgotten ones. 

Q: What compelled you to further your work in disasters?

A: I thought I'd seen it all; I thought I'd experienced it all, and I couldn't have been more wrong. I realized this when we pulled up to a checkpoint in New Orleans, and about 60 evacuees were staring at us. We stopped, and as we rolled down our windows, they ran to our vehicle. They tossed balled-up paper into our truck. We were confused at first. When we looked closer, we saw that each paper wad contained a house key and address. These folks were on their knees in tears, holding their hands together as if they were praying, begging us to go rescue their animals. This never has to happen again, if our communities prepare and if we individually prepare for disasters.

Q: How should we prepare?

A: Now is the time to prepare, when there are no hurricanes, tornadoes or raging wildfires. If you wait to prepare, it may be too late. It's January. Do it now. You should be ready to leave with your animals and have their medications, their health records, and three days' worth of food and water. Dogs and cats should be in carriers—not in the back of trucks. We are here to rescue animals, but we don't want them or you in a dire situation in the first place.

Q: Do I have to leave my pets behind when evacuating?

A: No, you can take them with you, thanks to the federal Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act of 2006. The law requires that state and local emergency plans address the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals and provides reimbursement to state and local governments for eligible pet evacuation and sheltering activities following a major disaster or emergency. 

Sixteen states have passed additional legislation to address the needs of animals in disasters. Additionally, many of these states' plans include safety precautions for farm animals and horses.

Are you prepared? Take this quiz to find out.