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A blue & gold Macaw, a snake and Gustav
“It was both a pleasure and an honor to work with HSUS on the Hurricane Gustav pre-evacuation effort. We were able to make a tremendous difference by moving the animals before the disaster. In circumstances like these, being proactive makes all the difference in the world,” said Miler.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina battered the Gulf Coast states leaving a path of destruction
In a bitter sweet victory, legislation was passed that enables pet owners to include their pets in disaster preparedness planning. Signed into law by President George W. Bush, The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act (PETS Act), affirms that state and local emergency plans shall address the needs of pet owners following a natural disaster or emergency. The PETS Act also enables humane organizations and pet relief agencies to deploy to areas in need and evacuate vulnerable shelter pets.
This year, as Hurricane Gustav moved toward Louisana, transport trailers were available and thanks to new legislation, the HSUS and several volunteers, disaster preparedness efforts are more proactive.
As one of the volunteers, Miler worked as an animal handler and assisted the HSUS in transporting shelter animals in specially-made tractor trailers to a safe haven in Panama City, FL as well as Baton Rouge and Folsom, LA.
“The rigs are custom built just for transporting animals. The kennels inside the trailer are made out of stainless steel and the truck is completely air conditioned,” explained Miler. “Each tractor trailer can house 70 plus animals. The trucks are so spacious that we were able to stack crates in the aisle, making it possible to transport over 200 pets at a time,” Miler said.
Some of the shelter animals were moved to a facility in Panama City, FL where they could be evaluated and transferred to other animal shelters for adoption.
Shelter pets weren’t the only animals being sent to higher ground. First responders were also able to have their pets relocated so that they would be able to concentrate on the task at hand and feel secure knowing their pets were safe. There were two special pets that Miler got to know personally.
When the rig finally reached its destination, trained and credentialed workers came from everywhere to assist in unloading pets, cleaning kennels and walking dogs.
“It was impressive to see such a show of support. This was a top notch deployment and I
If you would like more information on the continuing pre-evacuation efforts in the Gulf Coast or if you or your clients are in a precarious location and need help with your pets, please visit HSUS. |
PSI member and 2007 Pet Sitter of the Year winner, Jenn Miler, spent Labor Day weekend working with The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) transporting pets from shelters in the path of Hurricane Gustav to safe shelters located out of the path of the storm.
from central Florida to as far away as Texas. The hardest hit area was New Orleans, LA, which had a death toll in the thousands and 80 percent of its population submerged in contaminated water. Despite urgings from local and state officials, much of the community ignored evacuation efforts and chose to ride out the storm with their pets. As a result, many perished as the storm surge destroyed the city and surrounding areas.
“I had the pleasure of getting to know a beautiful blue and gold macaw – and a very large snake as we shared riding quarters in the cab of the truck! At first, I was a bit intimidated by the snake – in spite of him being safely secured in both a zipper bag and crate," Miler said. "The macaw was beautiful! She was shy at first, but as the miles passed, she came out of her shell and I fed her from my fingers and we had a conversation. She even told me her name!” 
couldn’t have asked to work with a better organization. This was a proactive effort and there is no doubt that it saved many pet’s lives.”