New Orleans Revisited
Hurricane Gustav put the besieged city, the pet evacuation act, and exhausted rescuers to the test.
I traveled to New Orleans to report on Hurricane Katrina’s third anniversary just as the struggling city faced its first major storm threat since that horrific event. But this time, they were ready. I witnessed the first organized, large-scale pet evacuation in history, a model exercise in humanity for other communities.
Photos by Carreen Maloney
Exactly three years from the day hurricane Katrina dealt her fatal blow to New Orleans, Mother Nature exhibited timing that was surreal and exacting. Another ominous hurricane named Gustav was hurtling straight for the embattled city. While still a few days from landfall, it had already gathered enough strength to reach massive proportions. New Orleans had enjoyed two quiet storm seasons. Now the moment of truth had arrived: the levees would be put to the test, and so would a new pet evacuation plan.
When Katrina’s storm surge burst through the levees in 2005, drowning the city in floodwaters as deep as 20 feet, officials didn’t permit citizens to evacuate with their pets. Animals were abandoned at the side of the road as tearful, storm-ravaged guardians were ordered not to bring their animals on buses. Dogs swam beside boats, not comprehending they weren’t invited along. Many people refused to evacuate, choosing instead to stay behind and die with their animals.
In the months that followed, hungry animals desperate to fill their empty stomachs fed on cardboard, tin foil, and drywall. If starvation didn’t claim them, they succumbed to heat exhaustion and dehydration; it is estimated that 70,000 perished. The ensuing animal rescue mission, the largest in history, lasted for months and drew people from around North America. Rescuers traveled into the region in groups or independently, working alongside local organizations in a desperate attempt to save animals fading away in the wasteland.
Charlotte Bass Lilly, chief executive officer of Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO) and a charismatic animal-saving hero, offered glowing words for out-of-town rescuers who risked their jobs, even their lives, to rush to the aid of animals left behind in New Orleans following Katrina.
“For all of you to come in your cars, your SUVs, and your boats, it was and still is the most patriotic moment I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Bass Lilly. “You made an investment of your time, your blood, your sweat, and your tears. For the rest of my life, I will be grateful that you came.”
If the heart-wrenching television footage of stranded animals broadcast after the storm brought any positive spin-off, it was this historical first for the nation: a law was enacted in the United States requiring states and local communities to include pets in their evacuation plans. Responding to the public relations disaster that characterized Katrina, President George Bush signed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act into law on October 6, 2006.
The act grants the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) the authority to help with evacuating animals. It also allocates funding to set up pet-friendly emergency shelters, and provides assistance to individuals with pets and service animals, and the animals themselves, following a major disaster.
And so it was, three years — to the day — later, that the citizens of New Orleans had the unfortunate occasion to put the new act to the test. As frightened residents in New Orleans anxiously eyed Gustav’s approach, the pet evacuation drop-off center at Union Passenger Terminal provided proof that people place great value on the bond they share with their animals. There, despite the looming hurricane, the steady stream of residents checking in pets wore Big Easy smiles, relieved to have help for their pets in the impending crisis.
“The city is definitely better prepared this time,” said Shelly Patton, building manager and webmaster for Louisiana SPCA (LA SPCA), the state’s lead animal welfare agency. “Katrina taught everybody how important pets are in people’s lives. It’s not like leaving a piece of property behind. These are family members.”
Downtown’s Union Station served as the main dispatch center for people requiring assistance to evacuate, including those with disabilities or special medical needs, the elderly, and people without transportation. The weekend before the hurricane’s anticipated Monday arrival, throngs of adults and children carrying their belongings in ragged suitcases and trash bags waited patiently to be checked in as they cradled pets in their arms, held them in carriers, or walked them to the terminal on leashes. Pets were also being accepted at any of 17 other pick-up points stationed throughout the region.
“My son wasn’t going to leave without his dog,” says Jacqueline Miller, 52, who arrived at the check-in desk with her adult son and his Pit Bull, Nala, in tow. “This makes me very happy.”
Pet guardians were given an armband with a number on it corresponding to the number on a coated paper collar placed around their pets’ necks. Animals weighing less than 15 pounds were permitted to board the bus and ride on their owners’ laps in carriers, while larger animals were crated and loaded into refrigerated trucks idling beside the drop-off stations.
Convoys of people and pets were ferried to shelters set up outside the hurricane zone, where guardians were expected to feed, water, and walk their own animals upon arrival. But despite reassurances from volunteers operating the check-in points, some residents still felt conflicted about temporarily relinquishing their beloved furry companions.
“Even though we’re telling them they’ll meet their animals on the other side, some are still scared to leave them because of what they went through with Katrina,” says LA SPCA’s chief executive officer Ana Zorrilla.
Kenneth Morgan and Michael Parson were forced to leave their dogs Prissy, 17, and Pooh Bear, 15, in their apartment when they fled the floods following Katrina. It was 38 days before they were able to return. Thanks to the 50 pounds of dog food and 100 gallons of water the men put out for them, their dogs were alive, but suffered from severe separation anxiety for months.
“I told Kenneth I wasn’t leaving without my babies this time,” Parsons said as he registered his dogs to make the trip.
Mayor Ray Nagin was on hand at the train station to conduct media interviews and survey the pet evacuation operation as it progressed.
“We learned so much last time,” said Nagin. “We [have] had a few glitches, but overall it’s going very well.”
Over at the LA SPCA’s Mardi Gras Boulevard shelter in Algiers, which houses 350 at full capacity, the building was already emptying. By Friday night, the bulk of the animals were on the road being ferried to higher ground. The LA SPCA has been through this drill many times. Since 1998, when Hurricane Georges threatened the city, the shelter has been evacuating every time a Category 3 hurricane or stronger threatens New Orleans, usually two or more times a year.
Aside from the physical demands of the evacuation, there is a resulting paper blizzard for LA SPCA to contend with. Each animal has to be processed with a change of ownership to the receiving shelter. An evacuation is also financially draining, costing about $25,000. But the spirits of an exhausted staff and volunteers were buoyed when rescue groups descended on the shelter to help, taking Great Danes, Bull Mastiffs, Pekingese, and Labradors under their wings and assuring their passage to safety.
“When people take the dogs that are sick, the ones that are harder to adopt, it warms my heart,” Patton says. “The rescue groups came and helped on such short notice. It was amazing.”
In the weeks following Gustav’s relatively soft landing in New Orleans, LA SPCA staff were brought to tears many times watching people and their pets reunite. Hundreds of residents came to the shelter to redeem their evacuated animals. “It was love reunited,” Patton said.
Fleeing with Fido
If a situation is not safe for you, it is not safe for your pet. Even if you are leaving for just a few hours, bring your pets with you when you evacuate. You may not be able to return to the area. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Gas up the car and stock it with supplies, including coolant and water.
- Evacuate early — don’t wait for mandatory marching orders. If you wait, you might be forced to leave your pets.
- Don’t leave your animals unattended in a vehicle. The baking heat can be deadly in a matter of moments. Even when you are driving, opt to use the air conditioner instead of rolling down the windows to keep pets cool and calm.
- Wire crates provide more ventilation than plastic carriers. Small battery operated fans can be attached to crate doors to keep air circulating.
- Make sure your pet is wearing identification tags, including a number that will be accessible when your home telephone lines are unanswered or out of order, such as a cell phone or emergency contact.
- If you must ride out the storm, find a safe place, close all windows and doors, and stay inside. Use plastic sheeting and strong tape to seal open fireplaces, vents, and pet doors.
- Bring pets indoors early. Animals get spooked during storms and frequently run away.
Pet Evacuation Kit Checklist
Gather supplies in advance and store them in a sturdy, waterproof container ready to travel with you on a moment’s notice should disaster strike.
- Enough food, water, and medicine for five days
- First aid kit
- Veterinary records
- Toys, blankets and bedding, bowls, grooming items
- Can opener, unless you buy pop-tops
- Newspapers, paper towels, trash bags, household bleach
- Litter box (aluminum baking pans will substitute), litter, dog waste bags
- Pet identification attached to your animal
- Current photos of your pet
- Harnesses and leashes, pet carriers big enough for your animal to stand up, turn around, and lie down in, and — in the case of cats — big enough to fit a litter box inside.
- Names and numbers of your veterinarian, plus clinics in the area you are evacuating to. Bring feeding and medicine schedules for your animal. You might be forced to board your pet, or place them in foster care or an emergency shelter, so be prepared. A list of pet-friendly hotels is also useful.
