Disasters
One thing that Ventura County residents can count on is the occasional natural or man-made disaster. El Niño winters followed by Santa Ana wind driven firestorms coupled with the periodic earthquake, oil spill, mudslide or haz-mat incident are facts of life in Ventura County. IS YOUR FAMILY PREPARED?
Animals, particularly our companion animals, need to be included in any and all emergency planning. Livestock, especially horses must be considered when laying in water and food supplies or planning for evacuation. Have you thought about how you are going to get your animals out if the event occurs while you are away from home? Do you know the safest route to escape your neighborhood during a firestorm? If the water supply is cut off do you have a plan for providing water to your animals? If forced to evacuate where can you go with your animals? How are you going to carry your 5 cats when you only have 2 cat carriers? Your horses won’t fit in your Mustang convertible, so how will you get them to safety?
These are just a few of the questions that we hope you have given thought to. Just in case you haven’t really planned ahead as well as we might desire, we have been planning and training for you. With the help of volunteers we are available to assist in most emergencies but we cannot be counted on to get to every home to rescue every animal. You have to make some plans and arrangements ahead of time. The links below will provide you with much of the information that you will need for disaster pre-planning.
During actual declared disasters or emergencies the Department of Animal Regulation will activate its 24-hour disaster hotline at 1-866-EVRT911 (866-387-8911). The Department can be reached anytime, day or night at 805-388-4341 or 888-223-PETS (888-223-7387) for any emergency involving an animal.
If your neighborhood is being evacuated take your pets with you whenever possible. Call the Department of Animal Regulation immediately if you need assistance evacuating your animals. DO NOT WAIT until the fire or floodwaters are at your property line. Get out at the first hint of impending danger.
If you are away from home or the location where you keep your animals when you learn of a threat, please call the Department of Animal Regulation as soon as possible with an exact description, location and all pertinent information so that we may get staff and volunteers to your animals in time. As crazy as it may seem, we will need your permission to go onto or into your property to retrieve your animals if you are not present, but you can give that over the phone when you call.
If you are able to self evacuate your animals but need a safe place to keep them until the emergency subsides, call the Department and you will be directed to either a public or private location for animal housing. During disasters many businesses and private citizens offer the use of their facilities for temporary animal housing. There are times when we may ask that you go to a temporary triage location with your animals and await safe transport to a more permanent or suitable location. Never assume that a facility such as the Ventura Fairgrounds is in use during disasters just because it may have been previously used. Many circumstances dictate what facilities we can use in any given situation that is why it is imperative that you call the Department and listen to radio stations KVTA or KHAY. If you only have small animals or house pets you may opt to keep them with you and "shelter in place" in your vehicle or RV or bring them to one of our shelters for no cost safekeeping.
Horses are a particular concern during disasters as many people have either no or limited access to horse trailers. Not to worry, the Department has horse and livestock trailers of various sizes and configurations that we will bring to your location. However, during a disaster we cannot spend precious minutes teaching your horse how to load in a trailer. If you do not regularly trailer your horse(s) it is imperative that you borrow, beg or rent a trailer periodically and practice loading your horses. If our staff or volunteers can’t get your animal loaded in 15 minutes they are going to have to leave it and move on to the next horse.
If you have unusual, exotic or special needs animals, please let us know. If you have 40 dogs but are only zoned for 4, don’t worry and don’t lie to us. In the heat of one recent wildland fire, a "kennel" operator, knowing that she was only licensed for 30 dogs but needing immediate evacuation for her animals as the fire was closing in on her, called for assistance. We asked several times how many dogs she had to move so that we could send the right amount of equipment. She insisted that she had only 30 dogs. Since everyone here knew her to be a stretcher of the truth we sent trucks for double her stated need. Imagine that no one was terribly surprised to find over 130 dogs upon arrival. Fortunately, we had livestock trailers nearby that could be diverted to her kennel and all dogs were safely rescued. In the midst of a disaster no one cares whether the animals are legal, we just care about saving lives.
There are many websites, articles, periodicals and books devoted to preparing yourself and your family (including your animals) for disaster. The links below represent the best information available for disaster preparedness.
The Ventura County Fire Department has excellent tips on pre-planning for disasters.
Ventura County Sherriff info in ShockWave format
The American Red Cross has all of the information that anyone needs for disaster preparedness.
Despite what you may have heard post Katrina, FEMA is, and always has been ready and able to assist Ventura County residents before, during and after disasters.
For a free pet rescue window sticker go to the ASPCA