To the editor: Last year’s devastating Los Angeles wildfires underscored something we’ve long known at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Disaster planning for pets is essential to protecting people. We are grateful to see California’s leaders stepping up by introducing the Providing Essential Temporary Shelter Assistance for Emergencies (PETSAFE) Act to help communities better prepare and care for pets before, during and after disaster strikes (“Pets needed help during the L.A. firestorm. A new bill aims to improve preparedness,” Feb. 24).
Led by Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the PETSAFE Act would amend an existing federal grant program to help communities invest in animal-related emergency preparedness. It would increase the portion of costs covered by the federal government from 50% to 90% for pet-related emergency preparedness activities.
Investing in resources, training and planning that include pets in emergency response plans is critical to preventing further loss and suffering, and we thank Rep. Chu and Sen. Schiff for their leadership on the PETSAFE Act. We urge Congress to pass this life-saving bill to better protect people and pets during disasters.
Matt Bershadker, New York City
This writer is the president and CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
