Congress goes to the dogs ... and cats

[Soldier4Christ]

Congress goes to the dogs ... and cats

One of the many sad lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina involved the plight of pets when disaster strikes.

As thousands of people evacuated New Orleans and other areas of the Gulf Coast to escape the hurricane and the following floods, many were forced to make the heartbreaking decision to leave behind important members of their family -- their cat, dog or other beloved pet. Still others refused to move out of the hurricane's path because they would not abandon pets.

The end result was catastrophic for many people and animals. Some people died because they chose to stay with Fido or Fluffy. And many animals perished from drowning or starvation when owners who thought they could return in a few days saw their exile stretch to weeks or even months.

The ensuing rescue effort proved to be the largest in history as animal welfare organizations from throughout the nation converged on the area to find abandoned animals and transport them to the safety of shelters. Eventually many of the animals were reunited with their families. For some, the reunion never came but they did find new forever homes.

The Ohio River flood of 1997 presented a similar situation in this area, although on a much smaller scale. But even that proved that every crisis plan should include provisions for pets.

Hoping to avert a similar crisis in the future, Congress has passed legislation designed to protect family pets in times of disaster. The Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act requires that disaster planning on state and local levels include companion animals to qualify for FEMA funding and authorizes federal funding to help create pet-friendly emergency shelters.

The bill now awaits the president's signature and in honor of Spotty and Barney, he is expected to sign it.

Hats off to Congress for recognizing that dogs and cats are important to most of us and that they should be included in emergency preparedness plans.

[Shammu]

 

[Florida_Catholic]

The title of this post could definitely be misinterpreted, especially in light of recent scandals.

[Soldier4Christ]

The title of this post could definitely be misinterpreted, especially in light of recent scandals.

Recent??  Only if you call the last 50 years recent.