Fire, Flood, Hurricane, Earthquake: People and Pets in Disasters Diàn Fowles Flinders University
Some basic stats Australia UK US NZ Households with dogs 36% 25% 40% 29% “ cats 23% 20% 33% 28% In Numbers: dogs 3.41 million 8.5 million 69.93 million 700K cats 2.35 million 8.5 million 74 million 1.4 million Total H/holds with pets [all 68% 45% 62% 68% kinds] Australian Companion Animal Council [ACAC] 2010, RSPCA 2013, AVMA 2012, PFMA 2013, NZCAC 2011
Disaster Types • Fire • Flooding • Hurricane • Earthquake Each fall into category of rapid/sudden on-set disaster event type
Queensland Floods 2011 - ¾ of the council areas in the state were declared a disaster zone - Over 200 000 people affected - 15 000 properties flooded - 3 600 homes evacuated resulting in almost 12 000 people accommodated in evacuation shelters - 19 000km roads and 28% of rail network damaged - 24 deaths [23 in the Lockyer Valley] Source: wiki commons - "Trapped woman on a car roof during flash flooding in Toowoomba 2" by Kingbob86 (Timothy) - http://www.flickr.com/photos/kingbob86/5341730273/. Licensed under Creative Commons Voices From a Disaster: “…our house … dragged off the concrete supports … we were moved almost a mile … water clocked at 83kms an hour! Our dog …on our floating dining table … my husband and I… in the water… also hanging on to it.” [Fowles, unpub]
Queensland Floods cont. • Thousands of stock animals impacted • Unknown numbers of wildlife • Unknown numbers of ‘pest’ species, including foxes, rabbits… • Marine flora and fauna impacted by run-off waters loaded with silt, chemicals etc. • Many companion animals left behind in evacuations Source: "Long and Mackenzie Streets in Toowoomba flooded" by Timothy - Flickr: Lake Annand 2. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - ; "Flooding in the Ipswich suburb of Gailes" by Martin Howard - Flickr: Brisbane Floods - Gailes Queensland. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons -
Victorian Bushfires 2009 • Around 450 000 hectares • Over 2 000 homes burned • More than 7.5k people displaced • 3.5k agricultural properties • 70 national parks and reserves • 173 people died in around 78 communities [120 in Kinglake] Sources: private; Wiki Commons: "2009 Victorian bushfires smoke plume over NZ" by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Victorian Bushfires 2009 cont. • As for floods, thousands of stock affected • An estimated 1 million wildlife • Unknown numbers of ‘pest’ species • Many of those animals not actually burned in the fires still died from breathing in the intensely hot air • Fire experts estimate temperature of fires peaked at 1470°Kelvin [1197°C] • Two fires alone, the Kilmore East fire and the Murrindindi fire, are estimated to have released the equivalent energy of 1500 Hiroshima bombs • Led to the creation of the ‘catastrophic’ classification level Voices From a Disaster: “…in the midst of all that terror… as the fire was coming… and we were obviously terrified… our oldest dog… I can remember him vomiting… I don't remember how many times… but it was significant… he was obviously terrified” [Fowles, unpub] Sources: candobetter.net – ‘Victorian Bushfires’, Tigerquoll 26/6/09; SMH Free Environment Photos
Christchurch, NZ – EQ, 2011 • Sept 2010, major EQ [7] • Feb 2011 another major EQ [6.3] • 185 people died, 164 seriously injured • Properties ‘stickered’ in zones of damage: • - 5 000 in red zone • - 10 000 in orange zone • - 100 000 in green zone • - white zone – still being mapped at June, 2014 Source: Wiki Commons: "80 Bealey Avenue" by Schwede66
Christchurch, NZ – EQ, 2011 • Over 3 000 animals perish • Many pet and dairy animals lost, injured or distressed Source: Wiki Commons; "Christchurch - 2011 earthquake damage 001" by New Zealand Defence Force - CHCH City - Streets1Uploaded by Mattinbgn. Voices From a Disaster: Voices From a Disaster: Relinquished - “…we had a last… sandwich “…there was a woman with a hearing dog… I had together… me, George and Mildred… last to fight to get the staff to let them in… then the meal… together… I gave them their bowls other staff kept trying to remove her… they had and leads… just said goodbye… really hurt… never heard of a hearing dog… woman spent didn’t look when they were driven away… I hours in tears” [Glassey & Wilson, 2011] just went in the house” [Evans, 2011]
Hurricane Katrina, US - 2005 • 2005 saw three of the six most intense hurricanes recorded in US history [Wilma, Rita & Katrina] • Human deaths 1 833 [FEMA] • Non-human deaths not officially recorded but estimated to be in the thousands • Estimated over 400 000 Wiki Commons: "Hurricane Katrina LA landfall radar" by Radar data from NWS New Orleans people displaced and processed by the National Climatic Data Center. • Estimates of 200 000 – 250 000 companion animals displaced
Hurricane Katrina cont. • Animal welfare orgs tended some 10 000 companion animals • Less than 5% reunited with their owners • Extensive media coverage, particularly of dead, suffering and abandoned animals • Resulted in public outcry [esp. on social media] and political reaction • Leading to the introduction of the PETS Act 2006 Voices From a Disaster: “... weary refugees… hopped on buses [leaving the ‘horrendous conditions of the Superdome ’]… pets not allowed on the bus… … at the back of the line… a police officer confiscated a little boy’s dog… the child cried until he vomited… ‘Snowball, Snowball’, he cried” [Foster, 2005, AP] Wiki Commons: "KatrinaNewOrleansFlooded edit2" by AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Kyle Niemi
Some Common Issues • The growing recognition of the strength and value of the human/animal bond and its importance to disaster resilience for individuals and communities • Trauma and grief reactions to breaks in the bond • Refusals to evacuate without animals or returning before it has been officially sanctioned • Increasing expectations of animal owners that their animals receive reasonable standards of care, goods and services and inclusion in disaster planning • Fear aggression behaviour hampering animal rescues • Lack of identification hampering animal rescues and making reuniting animals with owners a much lengthier, or even impossible, process • False claims on rescued animals
Voices From a Disaster “…we went to a friend’s… got two horses out… three of them were on a levee… her two and a friend’s… only two had survived… one had washed away” [Fowles, unpub] “…water… up to my waist… I carried my dog over my head… to the end of the street… People gathered around… with their phones taking video… not offering to help” [Fowles, unpub]
Voices from a Disaster “…the dogs…well, they’re our little boys… they were a priority… as much as our daughters were on that day… …at the time… driving away… from the horses… that was the hardest… I’m not God… I shouldn’t be given the decision… who is given the right to continue to live or not” [Fowles, unpub]
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