Legislation Would Require Pet Evacuation Planning

http://tinyurl.com/mhrr9

WASHINGTON -- The House has passed legislation that requires pets to be
considered in future emergency preparedness plans.

The measure mandates state and local preparedness offices to take into
account pet owners, household pets and service animals when drawing up
evacuation plans. Offices that fail to do so would not qualify for grants
from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The sponsor of the bill is California Democrat Tom Lantos, who was moved by
TV footage of a little boy losing his dog during Hurricane Katrina rescue
operations.

The bill was passed 349-24.

Similar legislation has also been introduced in the Senate



Personally I would like to know why the 24 did not vote for not because they
voted against it but what their reason was not to vote for it.

Good for them! We have some of that kind of thought (though not
legislation) in Japan; the Self-Defence Forces will go into an
evacuated area (for example, when a whole island was evacuated because
of volcanic activity) and figure out how to take care of animals that
were left behind. They collected addresses of people who had been
forced to leave their pets and livestock at home during the initial
evacuation and worked out a plan to care for them or bring them over to
the owners. It wasn't perfect, but at least it showed some sensitivity
to the problem.

Cantate

Matthew aka NMR wrote:
http://tinyurl.com/mhrr9

WASHINGTON -- The House has passed legislation that requires pets to
be considered in future emergency preparedness plans.

The measure mandates state and local preparedness offices to take into
account pet owners, household pets and service animals when drawing up
evacuation plans. Offices that fail to do so would not qualify for
grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The sponsor of the bill is California Democrat Tom Lantos, who was
moved by TV footage of a little boy losing his dog during Hurricane
Katrina rescue operations.

The bill was passed 349-24.

Similar legislation has also been introduced in the Senate



Personally I would like to know why the 24 did not vote for not
because they voted against it but what their reason was not to vote
for it.

Another step in the right direction, still a long way to go.
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera)
Cats leave pawprints on your heart.
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk