How Animal Welfare Organizations Play a Critical Role in Natural Disaster Response

Humans aren’t the only ones being impacted by the increase in natural disasters: animals (including pets, zoo animals, and wildlife) are also affected by hurricanes, wildfires, and other catastrophes. Animal welfare organizations play a critical role in natural disaster response. With the right preparation, they can help animals before, during, and after widespread catastrophes.

What Happens to Animals During Evacuations?

As Hurricane Milton approached Florida, the story of a dog that had been tied to a fence and abandoned caused outrage. According to NBC News, the dog was standing in flood waters up to its chest when Florida State Troopers found it. Thankfully, the dog was rescued – otherwise, it almost certainly would have drowned. The owner has since been found and charged with animal cruelty.

Leaving your pet tied to a fence during a natural disaster is obviously a horrible idea, but many animal owners find themselves in difficult situations when they are forced to evacuate ahead of a natural disaster. They may not have sufficient time to make arrangements for their animals, particularly large animals like horses. They may also be unable to take their animals with them if they are going to hotels or shelters that do not permit pets.

Animals in shelters, in zoos, and with other animal organizations may also need to be evacuated. For example, KVAL says an animal shelter in Oregon had to evacuate its animals due to the threat of a wildfire. The shelter’s staff moved the animals to fosterers or a warehouse. When it’s not possible to relocate animals, organizations may need to take extra steps to help animals shelter in place. According to the BBC, zoos often need to prep animals ahead of disasters. For example, one zoo trains its flamingos to follow staff to shelter several times a year to make it easy to bring them inside when a disaster is looming.

Wildlife is also under threat of natural disasters, especially severe flooding and wildfires. NorthJersey.com describes how a wildlife refuge worked tirelessly to try to save animals from a wildfire. Many of the animals had minor injuries or suffered smoke inhalation.

Strained Budgets Increase the Challenges

As animal welfare organizations deal with the increase in natural disasters, strained budgets are becoming an obstacle. When natural disasters strike, there are typically many calls for donations and volunteers to help the people impacted, which often makes finding support even more difficult. At the same time, staff and volunteers may have their hands full as the try to take care of their own families and property, meaning it may be hard to find enough workers to take care of the animals.

Unfortunately, many nonprofit organizations are struggling with a lack of funding. According to the 2024 Giving USA Report, charitable giving in the U.S. reached a high of $557.16 billion in 2023. Although this sounds good, giving actually decreased by 2.1% when adjusted for inflation.

Protecting Animals in the Face of Rising Natural Disasters

USGS warns that rising global surface temperatures are increasing the risk of droughts and more intense storms. Animal welfare organizations need to take steps to prepare for increased natural disasters.

• Create contingency plans. Do you have a plan for the animals in your care for if your location is threatened by a storm or fire? Build connections with facilities in nearby regions and help each other with emergency shelter needs. Also consider transportation issues or how you would protect animals that have to stay at your facility during a disaster.
• Build a network of on-call volunteers. If a natural disaster strikes, you may suddenly need many volunteers, including people who can take care of pets temporarily while their owners deal with evacuations. If you have a list of people who are willing to help, it will be easier to respond to emergency events quickly.
• Raise awareness. Public outreach will help your facility raise more money for disaster preparation. Also consider what people need to know to do their part during a disaster. For example, you could create a checklist to educate pet owners on how to take care of their pets during a natural disaster.
• Check your animal welfare insurance coverage. Insurance helps with unexpected expenses. For example, commercial property insurance could help you repair your facility or help with animal relocation expenses after a disaster.

Please note: Each policy is different and coverage triggers differently depending on policy wording. We encourage you to constantly review your policy with your insurance rep.

Tangram provides wildlife rescue, animal shelter, and other types of animal welfare insurance. Learn more.