For many people, their pets are their family. In the case of evacuations in response to disasters, however, these furry friends are often excluded, forcing people to choose between their own safety and leaving their animal sidekicks behind. A recent study from New Zealand, published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, shows how strongly peoples ties to their pets can shape their response to and compliance with emergency evacuations.
The study, performed by researchers at the University of Otago, focused on households affected by flooding in the town of Edgecumbe in 2017, which included the largest pet rescue operation up to that date in New Zealand’s history. The study noted that the primary reason people attempted to unlawfully re-enter the flood zone was to do with their pets – either to rescue or care for them, while also noting roughly one in five of those surveyed for the study had lost a pet during the flooding.
Says Steve Glassey, lead author for the study, “What’s the point of evacuating people if one of the most important things in their life perishes?”
The study also found that most respondents to the study didn’t received instructions as to what to do about their pets while evacuating. It did note, however, that those with an emergency plan were much more like to evacuate with their animals (94%), than those without an emergency plan (50%).
The importance of pets when evacuating is also supported by a previous study after Hurricane Katrina, when 44% of people surveyed who stayed behind indicated them being unable to bring their pets with them was a contributing factor to their decision.
Says Glassey, “What emergency plans should reflect is the reality of what humans will actually do in a disaster,”
Source:
https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/animals/animal-inclusive-disaster-planning-matters/
