At RSPCA NSW, we know that, like all other family members, our animal companions must be cared for and protected during emergency situations. Emergency preparedness greatly increases the likelihood of safely evacuating animals during emergencies without delay.
Including animals in your household’s emergency and evacuation plans is essential to ensuring the safety of your beloved forever friends. Historically, people have been forced to leave companion animals behind after not including them in their plans or believing it could never affect their pets. Taking the time to prepare inclusive, comprehensive plans can make all the difference in the world, particularly for animals that are difficult to transport, such as horses and livestock animals.Â
As the leading animal welfare organisation in NSW, we help keep our communities and our animal companions safe during times of crisis. Our Emergency Response Team is central to our mission, ensuring the safety of people and animals in flood and fire-affected areas.
Planning is a vital part of emergency preparedness and significantly increases the chances of safely evacuating your animals during stressful events like floods or bushfires. RSPCA NSW’s Ready Pet Go Emergency Pack includes a step-by-step guide to help you prepare for crisis situations with your animals’ safety in mind.Â
During floods, fire-related crisis, and other emergency situations, always check for updates from emergency services and traffic-monitoring apps to ensure it’s safe to travel with your animal companions. Apps like Hazards Near Me and Live Traffic NSW can help confirm whether it’s safe to depart for your pre-arranged safe location.Â
ABC Radio offers regular updates during emergencies. Download the ABC listen app or locate your local ABC station for use in your car and emergency preparedness kit.Â
Monitor the following community services for important updates during extreme weather events and other emergency situations:
Having an emergency kit prepared will greatly increase the likelihood of safely evacuating your animals during crisis situations. Your emergency kit should include any items that will help you transport and care for your animal should the need to evacuate arise. This includes:Â
Evacuation can present some unique challenges for larger animals. That’s why, when preparing an emergency kit for evacuating horses and livestock animal, it’s important to be more mindful of the specialised care and transportation your animal companions will require during the evacuation process. Your horse and livestock animal emergency kit should include:Â
During emergency situations, access to veterinary care may be severely limited. That’s why preparing an animal first aid kit to accompany your evacuation kit is essential to ensuring you’re ready for any injuries or health emergencies that may arise.Â
Please note that horses and livestock animals may require additional items to be adequately treated in emergency situations. Remember to prepare any necessary supplies for large and farm animal care when preparing a first aid kit for your equine and livestock animal companions. This includes:Â
As a rule, avoid letting your pet drink floodwater, as it may contain harmful bacteria, parasites, chemicals, and toxins. During emergencies, only give your pets boiled or bottled water. If your pet has been exposed to floodwater or contaminated water, contact a veterinarian and observe the following steps:Â Â
To ensure your animals are ready to be transported in emergency situations, make sure that you’ve adequately prepared both your animal companions and travelling equipment. Regularly inspect your float or trailer to ensure they are in safe working order. Additionally, you may also practice travelling with your animals, including short trips to help them get comfortable with being with you on the road. Routinely practice loading and unloading your animals to reduce stress and build familiarity with the procedure. For livestock animals, regularly move them in and out of safe areas to help them become accustomed to the route and environment.
There may be multiple ways to evacuate both yourself and your animals during an emergency. It’s important to identify these options beforehand and develop both a primary evacuation plan and some backup options, along with a Ready Pet Go Emergency Pack. Your preferred location might become unavailable due to factors like weather conditions, road closures, or availability of family and friends. Â
When arriving at an evacuation centre, make sure you inform evacuation centre staff of your animals’ arrival, especially if they are not fully vaccinated. Remember to ensure your animals have proper identification (e.g., a registered microchip) when developing your evacuation plans and emergency kit. Whenever possible, maintain your animal’s regular feeding routine to minimise stress and prevent digestive issues. However, avoid sharing water sources between your horses, livestock, and other animals to reduce the risk of illness within the evacuation centre. Â
Your ideal destination will depend on where you live and the type of animals you have. Regardless of your preference, it’s important to research destinations ahead of time to ensure you are accounting for the needs of your companion animals. For example, anyone evacuating with horses and livestock animals will need to have identified evacuation sites that can accommodate large animals or groups of animals. Some relocation sites include:Â
If you must leave your animals behind, ensure they’re free to find food and safety without your supervision. Follow these steps to prepare your animals if you need to leave them behind:Â
It’s easy to feel helpless when trying to assist native wildlife animals during floods or fires, but there are many steps you can take – both in your backyard and local community – to support wildlife animals during emergency situations. If you find sick or injured wildlife animals during emergency events, please contact your local wildlife organisation for urgent assistance.Â
You can also make a difference for native animals outside of emergency events by creating safe and thriving ecosystems for wildlife to enjoy.Â
By taking certain precautionary measures before extreme weather events, you can better prepare your home for emergency situations.Â
RSPCA NSW rehomes a range of different animals, from dogs, cats, and birds to horses, rabbits, and sheep! We believe that all creatures, great and small, can bring joy to our families and homes. Begin your adoption journey today and make an adorable lifelong friend!
By providing temporary homes for our animals, we can ensure they get the care they need until they are ready to be adopted. Join our network of foster carers for an incredibly rewarding experience; with your help, we can change the lives of some of the state’s most vulnerable animals.
We rely on our generous supporters to continue assisting the thousands of animals turning to RSPCA NSW for help. No matter how small your contribution, every gift makes a lifesaving difference for animals in need.
By raising funds and lending a hand to communities and their pets, our volunteers play a pivotal role in our work throughout NSW. If you have a genuine concern for animals and enjoy meeting like-minded people, consider becoming an RSPCA NSW volunteer today!
We promise to uphold the highest ethical standards. Your personal information has never been, and never will be sold or traded to other charities. This is our promise to you.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we live and work. We recognise and respect the enduring relationship they have with their lands and waterways, and particularly acknowledge the vital role animals have played in Indigenous life, stories and culture for tens of thousands of years.
The RSPCA is an independent, community-based charity providing animal care and protection services across the country.
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The RSPCA is an independent, community-based charity providing animal care and protection services across the country.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
