Chatham County, plus animals from Georgia and South Carolina self-evacuees. Pet owners are asked to provide medical and shot records on their animals, as well as crates and food, but Broady explained they will shelter the animals even if those things are not provided.
Food and shelter are important for the pets, but according to Broady, shelter staff and volunteers go above and beyond by giving love and support to the animals when they’ re separated from their owners.
“ Everyone really comes together to give the animals so much love and affection, including supplying them with comfortable bedding and toys,” she said.“ We even partner with Augusta Transit for the owners to come visit with their pets. This lets them spend time with their animals and see they are well loved here.”
Broady gives further credit to GDA’ s annual training programs and with helping her shelter prepare for emergencies and disasters. Several trainings and drills are conducted annually to improve the program’ s capabilities.
“ If it wasn’ t for Sims and the training programs, we wouldn’ t be as successful. They’ re truly a great asset,” she said.
In addition to the training, the companion animal sheltering team licenses and inspects their pet shelters throughout the year to keep them ready for use if a disaster strikes. During a disaster, GDA closely monitors movement of evacuees and the location of human shelters in an effort to identify additional pet shelters. All efforts improve animal and veterinary medical capabilities for Georgia and surrounding states, according to Sims.
“ Georgia has many things to celebrate in our preparedness efforts for animals,” Sims said proudly.“ We’ re a host to many of our neighboring states, so we work cooperatively with mass care and sheltering, as well as public health, to provide animal resources during disasters.”
With 85 million American homes owning a pet, having a dedicated team to plan and prepare for our furry friends during times of disaster is a relief to many and demonstrates support for Georgia families. It allows citizens to safely evacuate and know their beloved animals will remain safe until they arrive home again.
To prepare for pets during a disaster, pet owners can visit http:// ready. ga. gov / makea-plan / georgia-pets / to review resources and checklists. Sims also recommends pet owners know their animal’ s identifying information( breed, age, sex, color, markings, microchip number) and take a photo with their animal to assist with identification efforts. The companion animal sheltering program is available to all Georgia citizens and evacuees during a declared disaster. To utilize the program, contact your local county emergency management agency.
68 Percent of American households own a pet
950 Animals sheltered by Georgia Department of Agriculture during Hurricane Irma
30 Emergency Animal Shelter locations in Georgia( not including private boarding facilities)
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