Although delivering emergency relief to animals in disasters and assisting in their rescue is crucial to our work, WSPA’s Disaster Management department also plays an equally important role in prevention. This was demonstrated in the run-up to Hurricane Jova, which slammed into the coast of Mexico on Wednesday as a Category 2 storm (on the Saffir-Simpson scale), west of Manzanillo, bringing strong winds, flooding rains and mudslides.
By pre-empting the arrival of a disaster and encouraging local people to take action before the impact is felt, our Disaster Management teams across the globe are demonstrating how preparedness measures can make a difference - saving many animal lives without relying on relief efforts, which might otherwise be necessary in the aftermath of a powerful hurricane.
As Hurricane Jova moved towards the south-western Mexican coast, a WSPA Public Service Announcements (PSA) was broadcasted in Spanish on local radio stations in Mexico, reminding people to include their animals in their evacuation plans and evacuate with their pets if necessary; furthermore, the announcement urges them not to leave animals tied up and make sure they have adequate feed and water in the aftermath of the storm. The graphic accompanying this post is taken from a television PSA used in the region and urges people “to make a disaster plan for your family, without forgetting your pets, as they would never abandon you”.
In addition to the PSA distribution, our Disaster Management staff and response support networks were on standby all this week, with the Disaster Liaison Officer (DLO) and Veterinary Emergency Response Unit (VERU) leaders in Mexico alerted and prepared in case a ground assessment was needed. Thankfully, the storm rapidly weakened in strength since it made landfall and the worst seems to be over.
