Katrina Pets Research

Consequences of Pet Loss Following Hurricane Katrina -
University of Pennsylvania

Investigation of enteric infectious pathogens in displaced hurricane animals underway -
Shelter Medicine, University of California-Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine

Providing for Pets During Disasters -
Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado-Boulder
National Science Foundation / Post-Hurricane Quick Response Research Program

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Consequences of Pet Loss Following Hurricane Katrina
University of Pennsylvania

Participate in Research on Pets & Hurricane Katrina
Reply to: meganjj@sas.upenn.edu
Date: 2005-12-02, 11:19AM CST
Hi Everyone,
We are a research team at the University of Pennsylvania that has been working on issues of pet loss and pet bereavement for some time. We would like to invite you to participate in a study of the consequences of pet loss following a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina. We need BOTH people who have lost or been forced to abandon a pet AND people who safely evacuated or have been reunited with their pet(s). The study materials will take about 30 minutes to complete, and are completely confidential. If you’re interested, please click on the link below to visit the study webpage.
Thank you.
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~meganjj/KatrinaPetStudy.html

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Investigation of enteric infectious pathogens in displaced hurricane animals underway
Shelter Medicine, University of California-Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine

As a result of concerns expressed by shelters receiving animals displaced due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita about whether these rescued animal would present and increased threat to their resident populations, the UC Davis shelter medicine program has undertaken a study to quantify and characterize the enteric pathogens present in these dogs and cats as they enter participating shelters and to compare our findings with previously published findings. (View abstract of Sokolow, et al 2005- or read a recent review of this journal article at our on-line journal library).
To aid shelters and rescue groups in making informed decisions about the care and management of this vulnerable population we will post the results of our findings as they come in to us. Our goal is to analyze at least 250 samples from dogs and cats sent to shelters across the country. This study is supported by generous grants made by PETs MART Charities, The Bernice Barbour Foundation, the ASPCA, and the Center for Companion Animal Health. The results of this study will be submitted for publication upon the completion of this study.

[Note: this page also includes Recommended list of protocols for shelters receiving displaced hurricane Katrina animals]

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Providing for Pets During Disasters
Leslie Irvine, University of Colorado

DISASTER RESEARCH 437 -
September 16, 2005
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) Activated Hurricane Katrina Quick Response Grants [10 studies]
The Natural Hazards Center has activated the following Quick Response proposals to study the impacts of Hurricane Katrina. The Center expects to activate several additional Katrina-related grants in the coming days.

Here's the current list (December 16) expanded to 25 studies:

Hurricane Katrina Quick Response Grants
Postdisaster Studies Sponsored by the Natural Hazards Center
Here is the current list of Hurricane Katrina Quick Response studies activated by the Natural Hazards Center:
*100% of this program is financed with support from the federal government. A total of $25,000 per year is available for Quick Response Grants.

Also of interest is a study done by Leslie Irvine in 2004. Here is an article about that study:

Ten Post-Hurricane Studies, Including How To Deal With Pets, Funded Through CU-Boulder Center
Sept. 29, 2004

A University of Colorado at Boulder professor returned from Florida this week after a visit to study the effectiveness of emergency operations at animal shelters in an area hard hit by one of the recent hurricanes.

Pets are a major problem during hurricanes and other disasters because people aren't allowed to take cats and dogs into emergency shelters and most animal shelters already are filled to capacity under normal conditions, said Leslie Irvine, associate professor of sociology. After Hurricane Andrew struck Florida in 1992, about 2,000 cats and dogs were left homeless.

"After Hurricane Andrew, pets were called the 'forgotten victims,' " she said. "There was no plan for taking care of them."

Irvine's study is one of 10 post-disaster studies from around the nation to be supported in Florida by the CU-Boulder Natural Hazards Center, which receives funds from the National Science Foundation specifically to sponsor "Quick Response" research following major disasters. The Quick Response Research Program allows researchers to conduct field research in the immediate aftermath of disastrous events.

Other studies funded following this year's hurricanes included an examination of how conflicts are resolved in the Emergency Operations Center during an extreme event, the rapid collection of information on hurricane-damaged buildings and neighborhoods using remote-sensing technologies, and a study on the impact of the National Flood Insurance Program on land-use patterns.

Irvine visited the Suncoast Humane Society in Englewood, Fla., which served as the main staging area for animal intake for a county hit by Hurricane Charley. When shelters are confronted with an emergency overflow situation, adoptable animals are sometimes transferred to other shelters. Some animals affected by the recent Florida hurricanes were airlifted as far away as Texas and Colorado.

"Charlotte County had a good plan in effect," Irvine said. "No animal had to be euthanized due to a lack of space." In contrast, an estimated 1,000 dogs and cats were euthanized due to a lack of shelter resources following Hurricane Andrew.

During her visit, Irvine studied how animal shelters planned for and handled the disaster. She also examined how emergency workers provided assistance to people suffering from anguish over separation from their pets. In addition to cats and dogs, some shelters also received rabbits and ferrets.

"The main thing I learned was the importance of planning and interagency communication," Irvine said. "They are just key."

And, here is that 2004 study:

Quick Response Research Report 171
Providing for Pets During Disasters: An Exploratory Study
Leslie Irvine, 2004