Bill Would Force Pet Evacuation Plans

Oct. 9, 2005 — -- Like thousands of other Gulf Coast residents, Janice Hebbler was forced to leave her pets behind when she fled Hurricane Katrina.

"It was the saddest day of my life," Hebbler said.

She thought she'd never again see her dog, Heather Roux. But after six weeks, they finally were reunited.

Now, there is a movement in Congress to make sure no one has to go through that agony again.

Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., who encourages his staff to bring their dogs to work, has introduced legislation requiring state and local governments to devise emergency evacuation plans for pets, or else lose out on disaster grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"We will save lives by this, because people will not be forced to choose between being with their pets or getting out of the way of a hurricane," Lantos said.

While some think the legislation doesn't go far enough, others believe it goes way too far. Protecting people, they say, must always come first. And emergency responders had a hard enough time doing that during Katrina.

"Obviously, our first responsibility is to take care of human beings, but this does not prevent us from taking care of little creatures like Chippy," said Lantos, referring to the dog on his lap.

The Red Cross, still housing evacuees in 275 shelters, does not allow pets and does not plan on changing that policy.

But many believe accommodating animals, which are like family members in some households, could save lives.

"If you don't account for the pets in disaster, you undermine the effectiveness of the human rescue operation." Wayne Pacelle, chief executive officer of the Humane Society of the United States.

Texas officials are convinced their evacuation in advance of Hurricane Rita was so effective because they encouraged people to bring their pets.

It is unclear how many of Katrina's victims died because they refused to leave their pets, nor is it known how many pets died after being left behind. But 8,000 animals have been rescued, and 600 reunited with lucky owners such as Janice Hebbler.