Like millions of people worldwide, I have been shocked to my core by the harrowing sight of the wildfires ravaging Southern California over the last week. The devastation is staggering, the losses are terrible to imagine, and the emotional impact of this catastrophe on its victims is difficult to contemplate. My heart is broken by it all.
Members of our Animal Rescue Team are in close communication with the California Animal Welfare Association (CalAnimals), and with the state’s Office of Emergency Management and the Los Angeles County Emergency Management Department, participating in daily coordination calls focused on animal-related response. Even in disasters of this magnitude, local jurisdictions are the first to respond, and we understand and support that approach. Our teams can deploy when requested to do so, and these agencies typically prioritize local resources before activating national support.
Staff members of our Pets for Life program in Los Angeles, which works to provide pet care resources to communities in need all year round, have been helping to transport pets with urgent veterinary care needs for those who cannot transport them on their own due to smoke, ash, downed power lines and other factors.
Recognizing the need for a full-time animal focused disaster position in California, we previously made a substantial multi-year grant to CalAnimals. This dedicated position coordinates disaster response between animal welfare and state agencies and streamlines the task of getting animals the urgent help they need when they need it. In the current crisis, this extra capacity has made it possible for CalAnimals to work closely with animal agencies around the state to move animals out of Los Angeles to ensure their safety.
The immediate focus of emergency managers has been on human life and public safety, but the needs of animals, both domestic and wild, are also evident. We have strongly advised all residents in affected areas to evacuate with their pets, and to take advantage of the pet-friendly shelter options available to them.
We expect that response agencies and private organizations will require additional resources and support in the near term, and we are determined to meet such demands for assistance. The courage and strength of the many California-based groups working on the ground is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Should our Animal Rescue Team be requested to deploy, we’ll move quickly to provide on-the-ground support and additional resources to aid the relief and recovery effort.
Our history in the state includes both practical animal welfare and public policy work. When the fires subside, and the full-scale recovery and reconstruction effort begins, we will commit both additional resources and personnel to the restoration of California’s unmatched animal care and services capacity. This has been the pattern of our disaster response work for decades: We offer and provide direct assistance through deployments; we make grants to organizations in the zone of damage; and with others, we commit to building a better and brighter future for animals and the people who care about them.
So many California-based organizations are collaborating to help right now, doing incredible work. You can also support our long-term response efforts through our Emergency Animal Relief Fund. This fund supports all our preparedness, rescue and relief efforts for emergencies such as hurricanes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, animal fighting cases, large-scale cruelty situations and puppy mills. Through the years, the generous contributions of supporters to the Emergency Animal Relief Fund have enabled us to bring tens of thousands of animals to safety and helped us to assist countless communities and local organizations in disaster relief efforts. The fund allows us to provide support when and where it’s most needed.
I’ve said it again and again: The well-being of animals is so often inextricable from the well-being of people. And in the wake of the devastation in Los Angeles, it is as important as ever to show solidarity around animals and those who care for them.
We are supporting the communities and animals of Los Angeles today and will continue to do so in the future.
Follow Kitty Block @HSUSKittyBlock.
