Pet owners urged to plan ahead for disaster
Shelter warns of the next disaster and being prepared to evacuate pets
SANTA CRUZ » Santa Cruz County just experienced its worst disaster in more than 30 years with the CZU Lightning Complex fires, which posed an even bigger problem for animal owners, some of whom may have been wildly unprepared for the disaster.
While the county is literally out of the fire now, the heat is still on metaphorically. Large areas of scorched earth put the Santa
Cruz mountains in danger of debris flow events, which could be the next natural disaster to hit the area.
“We’re also telling people to plan ahead with these potential debris flow evacuations,” said Erika Anderson, the program and development manager at the Santa
Cruz County Animal Shelter.
The shelter suggested people with animals of all kinds be prepared for how they plan to evacuate themselves and their animals in the event of another disaster.
Animal owners need to have a crate or their cat or dog or a trailer for larger animals and livestock, Anderson said. Having food, water and bowls for your animals are equally as important if not more important than a crate.
Additionally, ow ners whose animals have prescribed medication need to plan ahead as they would for themselves. The animal shelter recommends having a few weeks supply of medications, as well as a medical kit.
“Even a human one is a c c ept able,” Ander son said. “If their dog or cat gets some sort of lacera
tion, they can treat it.”
The animal shelter and the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville played a vital role in the protection of animals during the wildfires. The shelter’s Safekeep Pro - gram helped shelter more than 400 animals and cared for a total of more than 4,500.
The Safekeep Program is in place for emergencies that displace animals. Emergencies can constitute a wide range of events, from hospitalization of owners to
natural disasters such as wildfires and debris flows.
The animal shelter was also able to help with some of the rescue and evacuation effort during the fires. However, that may not be the case during the next natural disaster, especially if the county experiences a debris flow event.
“No one’s going to be able to go in there to help people evacuate and help them get their animals out,” Anderson said. “We’re not going to be able to do the same thing we were able to do af
ter the fire. We won’t have access.”
Debris flows can be dangerous and quick-moving, Amy East, a U.S. Geological Survey researcher told the Sentinel in November. Debris flows are strong enough to move large objects such as boulders and cars and can even destroy houses.
That is why Anderson wanted to stress the importance of having a solid evacuation plan for people and their animals. Not only should residents have a plan in the event of an evacua
tion, but they should also practice it and get their animals used to their crates and trailers.
“For livestock, a big thing was people had horses and other large animals that had never been on a trailer before,” Anderson said. “Their animals are going to be scared to do that and it’s going to be such a stressful situation.”
No matter what any one person’s plan is, whether they plan to go to the animal shelter or take their animal with them, the key
is to evacuate quickly and as soon as the evacuation notice is given, Anderson said.
“I just want to continue to push people to evacuate when they’re told to,” she said. “That could be a major make or break situation.”
Anyone who is unsure of how to create an evacuation plan with their animals or needs assistance drafting a plan can contact the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter at 831- 4547200.