Many pets now housed in emergency shelters

As seen in the Associated Press article, “Chased from their homes by the menacing Red River, Davis and Delbert took a break from their cramped quarters inside a makeshift shelter to enjoy a walk in the brisk air.

They had reason to feel a little frisky: They're Labrador Retrievers.”

The story continues here.

At this time, we do not need Best Friends Rapid Response volunteers for deployment. A handful of swift water rescue certified personnel were placed on standby. In the event that emergency operations agencies in the area contact Best Friends for help, we will work with local authorities to determine what is needed and if and how Best Friends can provide assistance. We do not expect to need any volunteers at this time.

Please continue to watch our Rapid Response community for additional news. Any updates will be posted there.

Prepare in advance:
Meanwhile, here's all the information you need about how you can prepare to help Best Friends in the event of a disaster situation.

To become a member of the Best Friends Rapid Response team, you must have very specific training, and disaster responses are strictly managed by authorities in charge of each situation.

Team members are only deployed at the discretion of our program director and our national coordinator, depending on what’s called for in each case.

The Best Friends Rapid Response team is organized in compliance with the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC), of which Best Friends is a member.

A full explanation of requirements for volunteers and the various qualification levels is available on the Resources tab on this community, located in the folder called "Requirements for Volunteers."

Questions? Please email Ellen at elleng@bestfriends.org.

► Do not ever evacuate without your companion animals. Here is information for pet guardians from FEMA.

Posted by Marti Lombardi, Best Friends Network volunteer.
Photo credit morguefile.com.