Noah’s Task / 111Inertia makes it too easy to do nothing. Although people cannot be
required to prepare for a disaster, I offer a few suggestions for how
to encourage them to do so.
I suggest that we integrate veterinarians into the disaster plan-
ning process by making them the link between state and local
emergency managers and animal guardians. Many veterinarians
are already involved in local, regional, and national disaster re-
sponse efforts through organizations such as the American Veter-
inary Medical Association, and their assistance is invaluable. This
recommendation simply moves their involvement back a step. In
short, all vets can be a conduit for information about regional haz-
ards and the importance of preparation. At the time of an animal’s
annual veterinary examination, the vet could explain the potential
hazards within an area, such as hurricane, fl ood, tornado, or ice
storm, and the recommended steps for preparation. A brochure,
possibly produced by state or county animal response teams, could
provide a checklist for planning. The brochure would include the
list of items recommended for preparation, as well as the locations
of pet-friendly hotels and other resources in the area. Although all
this information is available on many Web sites, integrating it into
the annual vet exam brings it to the guardian, instead of requiring
him or her to take the initiative and look for it. Schools of veteri-
nary medicine and professional associations could assist with mak-
ing this a normative part of a routine vet exam.
A host of other incentives could encourage guardians of ani-
mals to prepare. For example, across the United States, people have
learned to change the batteries in smoke alarms twice a year, when
they change their clocks in spring and fall. Although this campaign
has not resulted in perfect compliance, it has raised awareness and
routinized a simple but easy to forget safety procedure. Similarly,
emergency planning offi ces (even FEMA, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency) could piggyback onto this semi-annual event
to inform people about planning for disasters. They could provide
information about preparation for disasters twice a year in newspa-
pers and on community Web sites. The information would be tai-
lored to the hazards faced in the region. The timing is ideal because