We are thrilled that the authorities have learned from horrible mistakes made 3 years ago as Katrina hit the Gulf Coast! A study also found that 44 percent of those who stayed behind when Hurricane Katrina hit did so because they wouldn’t abandon their pets. Knowing that their pets are in safety will make the decision to leave so much easier in hard times such as these.

NEW ORLEANS–Authorities evacuating residents from New Orleans ahead of Hurricane Gustav are including four-legged friends after thousands of pets perished in Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

Many owners stayed in the city during the catastrophic 2005 hurricane because they could not take their pets to shelters and could not bear to leave them. Yesterday, Animal Rescue New Orleans provided boxes for residents to carry their small pets with them on buses and trains and owners lined up for machine-readable animal ID tags.

Source: Reuters News