NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) –Over 250,000 pets were in need of rescuing after the levies broke during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It was the largest animal rescue operation in United States history. That emotional time changed the Americans prepare and protect animal family members in times of natural disaster throughout the country.
Kathryn Destreza is the SPCA Director of Operations in New Orleans and remembers Hurricane Katrina, saying, “we’re talking over 60 thousand animals unaccounted for after Katrina. The levies broke and it changed the entire dynamic of New Orleans. Oh my God, our shelter was completely devastated and wiped out. It was probably the most difficult thing I had ever done, in leading the rescue operation. We rescued over eight thousand pets. Over 15 thousand animals came through the Lamar Dixon Center in Gonzales, Louisiana for treatment.”
Some families had not evacuated New Orleans because they didn’t want to leave their pets behind. Other families were forced to leave the city without their pets because of cost and quickly evolving dire situation. Effectively, thousands of animals were abandoned to the mercy of the flood.
Over a hundred organizations from across the country assisted the Louisiana SPCA in rescue efforts in the storm’s aftermath. Some pets like Chaz, a service dog, would eventually find their way back to their family. The majority of animals wouldn’t find their way back to their families. It shined a light on the over population of many domesticated animals across the country and specifically in New Orleans.
“I don’t know what happened to them. Out of the ones that came through the Lamar Dixon Center in Gonzales… 15 to 20 percent, were able to reunite with their families,” explains Destreza.
Hurricane Katrina’s impact let to the passing of the Federal Pet Evacuation Bill in 2006. The law provides, sources of funding for families who plant to evacuate with their pets. The law also, requires animal organizations, such as stables, farms, zoos, veterinary clinics and others to have a disaster plan. At the state level, laws across the country were eventually passed as well, including in Louisiana.
Looking back into that harrowing time, Kathryn Destreza says “Hurricane Katrina was a catalyst. In 2006, we successfully lobbied. Pets have to be accounted for in planning for disaster-prone areas. So It’s not just Louisiana. It can be any kind of disaster and anywhere in the country.”