The Snowball Effect

My friend and colleague Phyllis DeGioia was wondering about what she dubbed "The Snowball Effect," after the little white dog pulled from the arms of a sobbing child as he was evacuated from the Superdome in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Phyllis took over from me as editor at VeterinaryPartner.com, and on that site she writes an open letter to the Red Cross:

Dear President Evans:

I’m hoping that the American Red Cross will consider updating the policy regarding animals in shelters and evacuation transportation. Many Americans watching the televised coverage of Hurricane Katrina were upset to see that young boy on a shelter-bound bus separated from his dog, Snowball. Knowing that scenario was multiplied thousands of times over makes me wonder what we can do to improve it.

More and more Americans are willing to risk their lives to assure the safety of their pets. As pets are not usually welcome at shelters, many people choose to remain with their pets. Unfortunately, their refusal to leave without pets snowballs into more problems, increasing the workload of the S&R and healthcare personnel and causing preventable deaths.

Given the attachment Americans have for their pets, I hope you will reconsider your policy about animals and allow pets on evacuee transportation and in some shelters. Perhaps people and pets could be rescued together, and then the animals taken to the local animal rescue effort or shelter. Red Cross and FEMA personnel could be trained to deal with sheltering animals as part of their regular training.

I understand that the original policy is based on factors such as allergies, potential bites, and fear of animals. People who don’t want to be near animals shouldn’t have to be, but people whose pets mean everything to them should not have their pets taken away. I am not suggesting animals be in all shelters, but if some shelters allowed pets, or a portion of each shelter, it would speed up the rescue process by eliminating the lengthy discussions rescuers have with people who refuse to be rescued without their pets. If separated, they may not be reunited. For people who have lost absolutely everything, their pet may be the only comfort they have left.

In Milwaukee, bus loads of people displaced from Katrina were allowed to bring their pets and were housed together at the State Fair grounds. In Florida the shelters that accept pets filled up first. A volunteer for Emergency Response in Britain says one of their first plans of action is to make sure that pets are kept with their owners.

I am so grateful that you offer this type of assistance, but please understand that I would no sooner leave my pets behind than I would a child. Surely we can work to find a way to accommodate the needs of all evacuees.

Sincerely,

Phyllis DeGioia
Editor, Veterinary Partner

You can find more information, a sample letter you can send if you wish, and a link to find contact details for your local Red Cross chapter, here.

By the way, VetPartner is run by the Veterinary Information Network, a membership service for veterinarians, that has raised well over a hundred thousand dollars so far for the relief effort. You can donate or get more info here.

Comments

[Gil.]

That report about Snowball got to me, too, but you know, what made me wonder at the willingness of people to cramp their brains in to the beaureacratic mold were the evacuees who were torn away from their families. Men and women were separated and sent to places as far apart as Georgia and Utah, none having any idea of where the others went. Grandmothers are here in Atlanta pleading for someone to find their grandchildren who could be anywhere if they're alive at all. What kind of idiot decided that families couldn't be kept together?
Never mind, I know what kind.