Disaster Response

Guest blog by Deborah Dubow Press, Regulatory Affairs Manager, ASPCA Government Relations

The ASPCA believes that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The more prepared animal facilities are for emergencies, the better responders, like the ASPCA, can stretch our resources and focus our relief efforts when disaster strikes.

That’s why today we applaud the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) new regulation requiring all facilities licensed under the federal Animal Welfare Act—this includes breeders, zoos, research facilities, dealers, and other exhibitors and intermediate handlers—to prepare emergency plans for protecting and caring for animals during disaster.

While the ASPCA will always provide zealous and expert response to imperiled animals, we believe that animal-related businesses should be prepared to protect their animals in emergency situations. Given the tireless efforts of the ASPCA’s FIR Team and other first responders, mandatory emergency planning is a small thing to ask and a reasonable cost of doing business. 

We are hopeful that this new regulation will prevent animals from being harmed during man-made and natural disasters alike. To learn about establishing an emergency plan for your own pets, please visit our Disaster Preparedness page.

If you were separated from your pet during Hurricane Sandy, there is a chance your dog or cat is under the care of the ASPCA at our Emergency Boarding Facility in Brooklyn. We’ve partnered with Animal Care & Control of NYC (AC&C) to help pets displaced by Hurricane Sandy find their homes. Please check the lost dog database and lost cat database for photos and details about each animal at the shelter. Additional pets are listed in the AC&C Found Pets Database.

The ASPCA boarding facility, located at 1508 Herkimer Street in Brooklyn, is open seven days a week, from 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., through Dec. 17. If you think you recognize your pet in our database, please call (347) 573-1561 before visiting.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the ASPCA has been ensuring that animal shelters in some of the hardest-hit areas have the resources necessary to stay in operation.

One such shelter in need was the Monmouth County SPCA’s shelter in Eatontown, New Jersey, and its small adoption center in Freehold, New Jersey. After Sandy hit the area, the shelter lost power for a week. A combination of emergency power and a gas generator provided animals with heat, fresh water and light, and allowed the staff to continue to perform their regular duties.

But after operating at full capacity, the financial toll was staggering. To support the organization’s heroic efforts, the ASPCA awarded a $4,000 grant to the Monmouth County SPCA to ease that strain.  

Was Your Local Shelter Affected By Sandy? Please tell them about our Emergency Grant Program! We are continuing to give grants for Hurricane Sandy response and recovery and highly encourage shelters to apply.

On Friday, we told you about the ASPCA Emergency Boarding Facility for pets of Sandy victims. (You can read all the details about the facility, which opened Saturday, here.)

People affected by Sandy who need a place to keep their pets are welcome to bring animals to the Emergency Boarding Facility, open seven days a week from 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. and located at 1508 Herkimer Street in Brooklyn.Starting Monday, pets can also be dropped off at a few other locations in the hardest-hit areas.

On Monday, November 19, between 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M.:
Belle Harbor, Queens:
Waldbaum’s parking lot
112-15 Beach Channel Drive
Map

On Tuesday, November 20, between 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M.:
Rockaway Park, Queens:
Rockapup
145 Beach 116^th St
Map

On Tuesday, November 20, between 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M.:
Coney Island, Brooklyn:
Municipal Credit Union (MCU) parking lot
Surf Avenue and 19^th Street
Map

Families should bring the following, along with their pets, to the emergency facility or intake location:

• One government-issued photo ID (i.e., driver’s license, passport, military ID or non-driver ID)
• Proof of address (e.g., utility bill, driver’s license)

All pets entrusted to the ASPCA at these locations will be taken to the Emergency Boarding Facility in central Brooklyn. For more information, please read this post or call the Hurricane Sandy pet hotline at (347) 573-1561.

Please share this information with your social networks, and stay tuned to the ASPCA blog for updates.