Senators Stevens and Lautenberg Introduce Legislation to Include Safety of Pets in State and Local Disaster Preparedness Plans

Senators Stevens and Lautenberg Introduce Legislation to Include Safety of Pets in State and Local Disaster Preparedness Plans

Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) have introduced S.2548, the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act of 2006. The legislation requires state and local authorities to include evacuation procedures for household pets and service animals in their emergency preparedness plans.

"We learned many important lessons from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. One of these lessons was that we must put procedures in place to evacuate not only residents in areas impacted by a natural disaster, but also pets and service animals. This legislation is an important step forward in our efforts to mitigate personal suffering during times of disaster," said Stevens.

"Losing a home in a disaster is traumatic, but losing a beloved family pet makes it even more devastating," said Lautenberg. "We saw many people in New Orleans who refused to leave without their pets, putting themselves in more danger. If there had been a plan to evacuate people with their pets, we might have saved some human lives as well as many animals."

Under the provisions of S.2548, state and local emergency preparedness plans must address the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals. Additionally, the PETS Act of 2006 authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to financially contribute to state and local efforts to secure emergency shelter facilities that can accommodate people with pets and service animals.

A corresponding House bill (H.R. 3858) was reported out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee yesterday.

http://stevens.senate.gov/pr_detailed.cfm?prid=362