EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FOR PETS

In 2021 our Animal Food Bank played an integral role in providing support to pets of evacuees providing tens of thousands of pounds of food into the Okanagan when no other organization could do so.  We did this without funding and without staff.  It was an unprecedented year in the Okanagan for natural disasters, with fires and floods wreaking havoc and putting strain on the Emergency Services System.

We learned that without our team of dedicated volunteers, and those of our sister organizations – The Good Haul, and Four Paws Food Bank, many evacuees with pets would have been left with little to no support for their furry family members.

We attempted to drive change around this.  We are not funded, and despite a petition to the Province of BC for change, numerous emails to them, and requests for clarity around why this is and an opportunity to sit down with them ahead of this years season of emergencies, we continually were denied.

The season of emergencies is upon us again.  Starting with flooding and just one lightning strike away from fire.  Our stance on helping pets of evacuees has not changed – we will do everything we can, with our non-funded volunteer driven organization, to ensure if disaster strike we are there.

We learned quite a bit last year.  We have taken that knowledge and launched our “Emergency Preparedness Campaign For Pets”.

Please take a moment to read our information below to help ensure if and when disaster strikes, you have everything you need for your pet, and know how to contact us if you don’t.

Love and light to all,

Nicole & AJ Frey, Founders




Buy a Pet First Aid Kit
Support the Animal Food Bank

Powered by RC Pets and Tailblazers Kelowna, and in support of our Emergency Preparedness For Pets Campaign, we are selling RC Pets First Aid Kits as a fundraiser.  This is a great way to help us, and your pet!

$39.99 plus tax


BUY NOW

$19.99 plus tax


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Evacuating With Your Pet
What You Need To Know

It’s the unfortunate truth that pets are not necessarily made a priority during evacuations and at emergency service centres.  One evacuees experience can be very different than another’s not only based on the centre they are evacuated to, but the volunteer and/or centres staff training and knowledge, and the ability for the ESS centre to update their records of available support services for pets.

Will there be pet food and supplies at the evacuation centre?

Based on our experience, and to the best of our knowledge, there remains no mandate and no funding for pet food and supplies to be provided at evacuation intake centres.  Some do, and some don’t.  If they do, in cases like some of the centres in the Okanagan, they are supplied by organizations like ours, and not by the province itself.  It’s best that you set aside some supplies to bring with you.

Will my voucher cover pet supplies, hotel pet deposits and hotel pet fees?

The hotel voucher does not cover pet fees, or the pet deposit that may be required by pet-friendly hotels.

The food/supplies voucher can be used to cover pet food/supplies if you choose, but as many evacuees told us last year, that was then a choice between feeding themselves vs their pets.

Is there emergency boarding available?

The Animal Food Bank does not provide emergency boarding or fostering services – our goal is to create scenarios where you don’t have to be separated from your pet.

However, animal welfare enforcement agencies are funded by the government to provide emergency boarding.   Once you check in at the evacuation centre, the volunteers/staff can provide you with information on emergency boarding options.

My pet is on medication. What happens if I forget it?

When evacuations happen, its possible you will either be evacuated out of the city or town you are living in and out of reach of your vet, or that your vet will also be evacuated.  In our experience, evacuation centres are not equipped to deal with medical needs of pets, including prescriptions and medication.  We do, as funds permit, work to ensure that pets in need of medical care have access to it.

Evacuating With Your Pet
How to prepare

The best way to ensure that your pet won’t go without what they need is to be prepared. It’s important to stay up-to-date The best way to ensure that your pet won’t go without what they need is to be prepared. It’s important to stay up-to-date The best way to ensure that your pet won’t go without what they need is to be prepared. It’s important to stay up-to-date

Know the risks.

It’s important to know what hazards you may face based on where you live.  Check your local governments emergency services website for more information.  In BC, you can click here for more info.

Have a plan.

You may only have a moments notice to evacuate and so it’s important you have a plan, and the supplies you will need ready in an instant.  The BC Government provides guides on this here.

Build your supply kit.

You should have supplies ready for you and your pet.  The BC Government provides some lists of suggested supplies here.

Consider having a plastic tote in your vehicle with a food and water dish for your pet, can opener, spare leash/collar/harness, poop bags, litter, toys, a towel and blanket, a copy of your pets vaccination records and/or prescriptions if needed, and anything else you may want to bring for them that won’t be damaged being stored in a hot vehicle.

In your home, or garage, have another tote with perishable items such as food (wet and dry), treats, bottles of water, a pet first aid kit, and medication that they may need, that you can grab at a moments notice.

Evacuating With Your Pet
How you can help.


PREPARE


DONATE


SIGN

Be prepared.  Donate.  Sign our petition.

Know the risks.

It’s important to know what hazards you may face based on where you live.  Check your local governments emergency services website for more information.  In BC, you can click here for more info.

Have a plan.

You may only have a moments notice to evacuate and so it’s important you have a plan, and the supplies you will need ready in an instant.  The BC Government provides guides on this here.

Build your supply kit.

You should have supplies ready for you and your pet.  The BC Government provides some lists of suggested supplies here.

Consider having a plastic tote in your vehicle with a food and water dish for your pet, can opener, spare leash/collar/harness, poop bags, litter, toys, a towel and blanket, a copy of your pets vaccination records and/or prescriptions if needed, and anything else you may want to bring for them that won’t be damaged being stored in a hot vehicle.

In your home, or garage, have another tote with perishable items such as food (wet and dry), treats, bottles of water, and medication that they may need, that you can grab at a moments notice.

Contact Us

BC Society Number S0072999
MB Non-Profit Number 10064006
email: help@animalfoodbank.org


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