Hurricane Katrina Comments and Questions 2252

Hello. I agree that the hurricane is tragic. People lose their lives, jobs, homes, loved ones. To add major insult to injury, they have to abandon their pets!! One of the most heart-breaking things about Hurricane Katrina is all of the pets-animals that had to be left behind. If anyone wants to know how they can help, here are some web sites for animal rescue groups to donate to:

Humane Society www.hsus.org ASPCA www.aspca.org IFAW https:--www.ifaw.org-ifaw-general-default.aspx?oid=141400&MSOURCE=NL10201DUS

Also, here is a link. It is a pebreastion to get the Red Cross to allow the evacuees of hurricanes take their pets which can be placed in animal shelters until they can be reclaimed. There is no need for the animals to have to stay and suffer.

Also, please politely tell the FEMA director and Mayor Ray Nagin that evacuees should not be forced to abondon their pets. Here is the contact info:

On August 29, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast. In addition to the human misery that the storm left in its wake, Katrina left many thousands of animals dead and dying. But the greater problem has turned out to be state and federal governments adding to this toll-and causing the slow and agonizing rests of thousands more much-loved dogs, cats, and other animals-through their failure to allow animal protection agents to rescue animals.

Worse, although the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) guidelines on animal handling in a disaster were carefully crafted years ago in cooperation with PETA and other animal organizations, our government has evidently thrown them out the window, even going so far as to order citizens to abandon their animals under threat of arrest-animals who in many cases were considered members of the family and were all that these people had left.

Volunteer Steve Miller told The Advocate in Baton Rouge that "FEMA has told us we cannot take the pets" along with the distraught human victims that they are evacuating. "They told us that we could not take one cat or dog in our boats," Miller said. "It's a stupid rule. More people are going to die because of that."

Telling these exasperated citizens of our country to abandon the animals they care for so deeply is, in fact, illegal. Chapter 14, Section 102.1(A)(1)(d) of Louisiana's Revised Statutes, for example, states that anyone who abandons an animal is guilty of the crime of cruelty to animals.

Please politely call on Michael Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response and head of FEMA, to immediately order his subordinates and their brave volunteers to evacuate animals with their human families, effective today, from areas affected by Katrina. Tell Mr. Brown that in these United States, we can and must do better for our citizens and their animals:

The Honorable Michael Brown Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response 500 C St. S.W. Washington, DC 20472 202-646-3900 202-646-3930 (fax)

On Tuesday, September 6, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin reportedly issued a mandatory evacuation order and authorized police to remove people from their homes regardless of the residents' wishes, according to CNN. Although Lt. Gen. Russel Honore-Commander of the First U.S. Army and the man in charge in New Orleans-apparently stated that his military units will not carry out such evacuations, New Orleans police officers and other law enforcement agents may force city residents to abandon their animals when evacuating. Please ask Mayor Nagin to ensure that his beleaguered consbreastuents are allowed to bring their companion animals along should they be evacuated:

The Honorable Ray Nagin Mayor of New Orleans Send an e-mail to the Mayor's Office here

Visit HelpingAnimals.com for further information and updates on Katrina and our response. And please send this e-mail to your friends, family, colleagues, and anyone else you can think of who might lend their voice and support to these vital efforts!

Help Support This Critical Work With a Special Donation Today!

We need your financial support! Please donate today to PETA's Animal Emergency Fund with as generous a donation as you can afford. It will be put to work to fund our response to Katrina-including our own rescue efforts and the timely distribution of our disaster-preparedness public service announcements-provide financial and logistical support for individuals and local agencies at ground zero who are helping animals, and put pressure on public officials to include animals in their relief efforts so that nothing like this ever happens again.

Thank you,

Ingrid E. Newkirk President

P.S. Please take advantage of our Web site's tips on preparing a disaster plan for your own companion animals at www.helpinganimals.com. Many emergencies occur without warning, and being ready can mean the difference between life and rest. Thank you as well for considering this special request to support our Animal Emergency Fund-your gift could make a difference in saving countless animals' lives.

Moderate Mammal