Why Disaster Preparedness is our philanthropy:
Disaster preparedness is near and dear to Dr. Kunkel’s heart. Growing up in hurricane-prone south Florida, she saw first-hand what can happen. The potential of disasters affecting Tennessee include tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, fire, transportation disasters, and terrorist threats to nuclear power plants, water sources and agriculture.
One of the learnings from Hurricane Katrina, as much as humanly possible, is to not leave animals behind to fend for themselves during an evacuation. Because animals are so closely linked to people’s sense of well being and contentment, saving the animals’ lives also helps save people. Since Katrina, this no-pet-left-behind realization has literally been placed into Federal Law as “The Stafford Act.”
To help ensure your preparation in the event of a disaster, the following important tips are for you and your beloved pets:
1.) We have stickers for the front and back doors of your home to communicate how many animals you have. We urge you to come by and pick up however many you need. Police and firefighters are trained to look for these stickers should you not be home if an unfortunate event occurs. Something as simple as stickers can absolutely save lives!
2.) We strongly recommend microchipping ALL pets. A microchip is a tiny computer chip placed just under your pet’s skin, painlessly and safely, by a veterinarian. It contains identifying information enabling reunification in the event you and your pet are separated for any reason. It is the NUMBER ONE method by which animals and their owners are reunited due to any unexpected situation, including disasters.
3.) We have hand-outs listing supplies to have on hand for an animal evacuation kit. In the event you are asked to evacuate, you will also be asked to take your pet(s) with you. Should that happen, you will want to already have supplies on hand for their basic food, water and shelter needs.
Dr. Kunkel is an active volunteer for Disaster Preparedness/Response for the State of Tennessee. If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming an emergency responder for animals and the people who love them, please call Dr. Kunkel at 615-791-9148 to see how you can become a credentialed member of an official Animal Disaster Response Team.
A helpful website with additional information about disaster preparedness is www.avma.org/disaster.
You are also encouraged to check out our website’s “Red Cross Drives” menu link. There, we explain and have information about our quarterly human blood drives – certainly another connection with disaster preparedness as well as a critical ongoing need.