FEMA Region III Promotes Pet Preparedness in April

April 2, 2014

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PHILADELPHIA – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), through its regional office in Philadelphia has kicked off the 2014 Petpared Initiative to encourage pet owners to be more resilient in the face of disasters. 

The goal of the Petpared Initiative is to increase the number of citizens who understand the hazards that are most relevant to their family and pets; know the corresponding protective actions to take, and to encourage everyone to practice a real-time action to increase their preparedness.

In support of America’s PrepareAthon!, FEMA Region III will be promoting the #Petpared Twitter Challenge that will run throughout the month of April. To participate in the challenge, pet owners should complete a preparedness action to increase their pet’s preparedness, then tweet a picture of their action using the hashtag #Petpared. Successful actions will be retweeted on May 5, 2014, National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day.

On April 17, 2014 at 12:30 p.m. EDT, FEMA Region III will coordinate the #Petpared Twitter Chat with pet experts from organizations such as the American Humane Association, ASPCA, American Red Cross, PetSmart Charities, Red Paw Emergency Relief Team, Schuylkill CART, Virginia Search and Recuse Dog Association, and others to help pet owners understand what they need to do to prepare for disasters and encourage them to take action.

There are simple steps pet owners can take to increase both their own and their pet’s preparedness. Through the use of social media platforms, pet owners will have access to the information they need through a variety of different mediums to increase their preparedness. This will also give pet owners an opportunity to engage and share their experiences with the pet community.

Having a pet emergency supply kit is just one way to prepare; there are also simple steps you can take now to be prepared for all hazards such as developing a family emergency plan, having an emergency supply kit ready to go, and learning about your risks. Other resources to prepare your pet and your family for disasters are available at Ready.gov/caring-animals.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. FEMA Region III’s jurisdiction includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Stay informed of FEMA’s activities online: videos and podcasts are available at fema.gov/medialibrary and youtube.com/fema. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion3.