The devastation caused in South Florida by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 was the first exposure many disaster responders, government officials, animal protection workers, and the general public had to the issues surrounding animals in disasters. These problems became even clearer in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 when many residents of New Orleans left animals behind, many others refused to evacuate if they could not take their companion animals with them, and still others simply had no way to escape. It was estimated that more than 1,800 people and hundreds of thousands of animals died during that storm.
Prior to Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina, the response to animals in disaster was often disorganized, with many different agencies, organizations, professionals, and volunteers in conflict with one another over priorities and the deployment of resources. Many groups came together in 2005 to form the National Emergency Animal Rescue and Sheltering...