Nashville Paw News

As flood waters continue to rise across the Middle TN region, many are being forced to evacuate their homes and neighborhoods. If you do need to evacuate, PLEASE TAKE YOUR PETS! While your pets cannot stay with you in the Red Cross shelters, officials are stating that provisions will be made for their safety.

For a list of Red Cross shelters, click here. News Channel 4 is also reporting that the shelter at Lipscomb University is providing special help for people with pets. If you have questions or need to evacuate, Davidson County residents can call the Community Hotline at (615) 862-8574.

Following are the pet evacuation provisions as outlined by Metro Nashville on nashville.gov:

Provisions for Pet Evacuation and Transportation with Owners

The evacuation plan for Metro Nashville and Davidson County includes a pet provision that allows residents to evacuate with their pets.

Pet owners are encouraged to plan ahead by creating a family disaster plan that includes their pets. Information on creating disaster plans is available through OEM. Special considerations are made for the needs of the elderly, disabled, groups that cannot help themselves, and persons requiring evacuation assistance during a disaster situation. When transport arrives to evacuate residents, domestic animals will be permitted to board transport buses or any other transportation vessel with their owners.

Animals will be transported, sheltered and cared for by qualified personnel at a pet shelter designated by the Red Cross and Nashville Humane Association. Attempts will be made to ensure pet shelters are in proximity to established Red Cross shelters.

Following guidelines from the Nashville Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Nashville Humane Association, Nashville pet owners will have access to emergency domestic pet shelters. These shelters will be staffed by credentialed animal handlers. Shelters and living conditions will be monitored by Nashville Humane association staff as well as Metro Health department (Animal Control division).

The Red Cross shall:

• Notify local emergency management officials of the activation of program and location of open shelters for residents and pets.

The Nashville Humane Association shall:

• Determine animal-friendly shelter locations (area boarding clinics, groomers and veterinary offices) and deploy personnel according to the Standard Operating Procedure. The shelters will be set up at locations near Red Cross shelters, thereby sheltering pets near their owners.
• Activate care and sheltering of domestic animals network.
• Provide program participant list to appropriate agencies.
• Provide shelter personnel including qualified (credentialed) animal handlers, animals care givers and trained animal search and rescue teams.
• Provide animal first aid kits at shelters.
• Coordinate with participating boarding facilities, appropriate agencies and local media of the activation and cessation of emergency and timing of owner retrieval of animals.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture will serve as the lead state agency for livestock management in emergencies and disasters.

• Recovering Lost Pets Should your animal be left behind, lost pets are often picked up by Metro Animal Control or dropped off at the Nashville Humane Association. Please contact these agencies or stop by to find out if your lost pet may be in a shelter.

• Exotic Pets Owners of exotic pets will be advised though the media to leave such pets as reptiles, parrots and ferrets with friends or relatives who are safely out of harm’s way. Exotic pets usually require specialized care and feeding, and are more sensitive to environmental changes than dogs and cats.

• Birds Bird owners will be advised though the media to do the following:
  Transport their birds in a secure travel cage or carrier; in cold weather wrap a blanket over the carrier and warm up the car before placing birds inside; during warm weather carry a plant mister to mist the birds’ feathers periodically; water should not be placed inside carriers during transport; provide a few slices of fresh fruits and vegetables with high water content; have a photo for identification and leg bands; if the carrier does not have a perch, line it with paper towels and change them frequently. Try to keep the carrier in a quiet area. Do not let the birds out of the cage or carrier.

• Reptiles Snakes can be transported in a pillowcase but they must be transferred to more secure housing when they reach the evacuation site. If snakes require frequent feedings, owners should carry food provision along with them. Take a water bowl large enough for soaking as well as a heating pad. When transporting house lizards, pet owners are advised to follow the same directions as for birds.

• ‘Pocket’ Pets Small mammals (hamsters, gerbils, etc.) should be transported in secure carriers suitable for maintaining the animals while sheltered. Take bedding materials, food bowls, and water bottles.

Please be safe… and please ensure that your pets are safe, too!

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 at 9:46 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.