Who Grabs the Cat? Pet Safety Tips at Disaster Preparedness Day, Aug

As a long August evening turned to night, Cindy Bertsch remembers a “glowing red towering smoke plume” rising with a sense of menace as cars and trucks pulled into an evacuation center in Pescadero.

People arrived with loose dogs and rabbits, frightened cats, flapping chickens and parakeets, panicked hamsters and coiled snakes, a kind of rolling Noah’s Ark. No leashes, cages, food or other supplies, just people fleeing with their beloved pets.

“Looking back at the terrifying firestorm where the people had come from showed why they had to leave so fast,” Bertsch said.  “There was disbelief that a fire could grow so fast in their tight-knit community.”

As the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fire scorched the coastal hills, Bertsch, a volunteer with the American Red Cross, spent days gathering leashes, cat litter, food bowls and anything she could to help pets and their owners.

She’s seen firsthand how quickly disaster can unfold, and how a few simple steps taken today can prevent a mad scramble in the dark and possibly save a pet’s life.

Bertsch will share her pet-preparedness tips at San Mateo County’s 21st Annual Disaster Preparedness Day on Saturday, Aug. 2. The free event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the San Mateo County Event Center.*

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“People aren't prepared for their pets, and it’d be a lot more relaxing for people if they had a plan in place because then they could stress less when it happens,” Bertsch said in a telephone interview from her Belmont home.

“I like to teach people about it, and hopefully there'll be better outcomes for some of the pets. And I'm talking any type of pet — reptiles, dogs, cats, horses, cows, small and large animals.”

That means packing a Go Bag – that’s right, a Go Bag, just like for your family – for each pet. For a cat, that might include food and litter and a small aluminum roasting pan (for use as a litter box). For a reptile? Battery-powered heat pads.

It’s not just a matter of making your pet feel comfortable, although that’s important. It could be a matter of life and death for you and your family. During 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, some 44 percent of people who refused to evacuate did so in part because they refused to leave their pets behind.

Bertsch will lead Pet Preparedness 101 from 11:05 to 11:35 a.m. at the Event Pavilion. Check out the schedule of events and learn more.

Disaster Preparedness Day offers a full day of hands-on training, free CPR and emergency skills workshops, emergency supply giveaways and a special Kids’ Korner with fun activities.

Cari E. Guittard
Department of Emergency Management
(650) 363-4790
(415) 608-0806
cguittard@smcgov.org