The northeastern United States continues to clean up, repair, and rebuild in communities hit by Hurricane Sandy. Many people ignored warnings to leave their homes for emergency shelters. Often, this was because of their pets or livestock. Shelters rarely permit animals. This issue comes up in almost all floods, large wildfires, and earthquakes.Christopher Cruise tells about efforts in the state of Oregon to inform people about how to protect their animals from disasters. "Thank you for coming to our 'Animals and Disasters Preparedness' class ..." That is Jo Becker of the Oregon Humane Society. She is opening a training program with pictures taken in New York during and after super-storm Sandy blew through the city last month. "... firemen immersing themselves in chest-deep water for dogs and cats. We don't want our firefighters immersing themselves in polluted water..." A number of people drowned in their homes because they stayed with their pets. "Emergency shelters won't accept animals. If you're lucky, people and animal shelters will be located close to each other." It is a nationwide policy to keep pets, except for service dogs, out of human shelters. Many people suffer allergic reactions to animal fur. There is also the danger of fighting between animals, attacks on humans, and other possible problems. Some estimates suggest as many as 73 million American households include a cat, dog, or other pet. So what are these animal owners to do when natural disasters strike? Class attendee Wendy Colvin is among those millions. "We own two pygmy goats and about a dozen chickens." Wendy Colvin signed up as a volunteer with a disaster aid service after Hurricane Katrina wrecked much of the coastline along the Gulf of Mexico. So she has learned about helping her human neighbors recover from disaster. But what about animals? She says the rule against animals at shelters leaves
her with little choice. "I hadn't really thought about it before. If we had to move them, we would probably put them into the pickup truck and take them wherever we had to go." Holly Smith works at an animal hospital in Olympia, Washington. She says she has a plan for her dog, two cats, and two rabbits. She has plastic boxes ready to go with a seven-day supply of pet food, toys, and other things. She also has pet carriers for all members of her little zoo. Holly Smith says her animals are
more prepared for an emergency than she is. But she wants to do more. "My biggest thing is getting, just getting the government to realize that animals need to be part of the solution and part of the plans. Otherwise they are gonna be a major hiccup, a major problem."
美國東北部遭受颶風桑迪重創的社區，正持續清理、修整和重建家園。很多人常為了自己的寵物或牲畜，而忽視緊急避難的警告，因為很少有收容所允許動物進入。 幾乎所有洪水、森林大火， 和地震災害都存在這個問題。克里斯多夫． 克魯斯（Christopher Cruise）解釋俄勒岡州如何努力使民眾了解，如何在災難中保護自己的動物。 「謝謝您參與我們的『動物急難準備課程』……」 介紹這課程的是俄勒岡人道協會的喬．貝克（Jo Becker）。她開了一門訓練課程，用上個月超級颶風桑迪肆虐紐約當時與過後所拍攝的照片上課。 「……消防員浸泡在水深及胸的洪水中，搶救貓狗。我們不希望我們的消防隊員，要這樣讓身體泡在污水中……」 許多人為了陪伴寵物，被淹死在自己的住家內。 「緊急避難場所不收容動物。若你待的避難所和動物收容中心剛好距離很近，那你真是幸運。」 除了服務犬以外，將寵物隔離在收容所外，是全國性的政策，因為有多人對動物毛髮過敏，還有動物會彼此攻擊、攻擊人類及其他風險。 據估計多達7300 萬個美國家庭，飼養包括貓、狗等的寵物。那麼當遭遇天災時，寵物主人可以為寵物做些什麼呢？ 上這門培訓課的溫蒂． 科文（Wendy Colvin）剛好是數千萬養寵物的家庭之一。「我們有兩隻侏儒山羊，和十幾隻雞。」 在卡崔娜颶風摧毀了許多墨西哥灣沿岸地區後，溫蒂．科文簽約擔任災難援助服務志工。所以她已經學會幫助鄰居從災難中恢復，但是寵物怎麼辦呢？她說，避難所不能收容動物的規定，讓她別無選擇。 「我從沒想過這問題，如果我們不得不帶著寵物撤離，我想我們可能得把牠們放到皮卡車裡隨著我們逃難。」 荷莉．史密斯（Holly Smith）在華盛頓州奧林匹亞區的一家動物醫院工作。她說她為自己的一隻狗、兩隻貓和兩隻兔子規劃了一個逃難計劃。她準備了塑膠箱，裡面裝了七天份的寵物食品、玩具和其他東西。她也有寵物箱可以放置她的寵物們。她說她為寵物所準備的救難東西，比她自己的 還充足，但她覺得這樣還不夠。 「我的要務是讓政府體認到，要將動物納入急難解決方案的一環，也要為寵物準備逃難計劃，否則他們將成為一個主要問題。」 | 
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