During natural disasters like hurricanes, fires, floods, tornadoes, etc., people are often asked to evacuate from their homes. A few years ago when parts of Long Island, NY were threatened by a hurricane, many residents refused to evacuate without their pets because Red Cross disaster shelters do not accept pets (except service animals) because of health and safety regulations.

Shortly after, one Red Cross volunteer, Nancy Lynch created an award-winning pet safety program for the American Red Cross of Nassau County, NY called Pet Safe, which is perhaps the first of its kind in the nation.

The Nassau County Red Cross explains, "Pet Safe is a cooperative effort of local groups and government working together to assist people and their pets during times of disasters. Relief agencies, including the American Red Cross, move quickly to assist people during a disaster. Now, Pet Safe extends these services to companion animals. Pet Safe will help keep families and their companion animals together by assisting with sheltering, feeding and identifying pets."

Please ask Marsha J. Evans, President and CEO of the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. to make the Pet Safe program a National Red Cross program and to make sure that Red Cross chapters all across the country adopt this policy to help save our pets. If homes must be evacuated during a disaster, if these homes are not safe enough for us, they are not safe enough for our pets either!! Please sign the petition to help keep our pets safe during disasters.

Thank you!!