Contact:
Phil Boerner: 916-649-0599 (California Veterinary Medical Association)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Disaster Response Program
When California disasters strike, the CVMA’s toll-free emergency telephone number for animals is made available to the public right along with human emergency telephone numbers.
The California Veterinary Medical Association provides a network of volunteer veterinarians throughout California prepared to provide veterinary care for rescuing, evacuating, treating, and sheltering animals during disasters. This network operates in conjunction with local authorities (Office of Emergency Services, Animal Control, Red Cross, Department of Food and Agriculture, and local law enforcement).
Each county in California is represented by a veterinary professional, called a veterinary coordinator, whose main focus is to plan in advance and to prepare an entire team of local volunteers to care for California’s animals during disasters.
Preparation is the key to helping pets survive disasters. Our pets are vulnerable to the same physical and emotional dangers as every other member of the family. Here are a few suggestions from the CVMA for making sure your pets are prepared for disasters of all kinds.
- Have a secure, portable, familiar enclosure for quick evacuation.
- Have leashes or harnesses.
- Have a special emergency kit containing: water and food sufficient to last for 2-3 days, spill-proof water and food bowls, special feeding and medication instructions, medications your pet takes on a regular basis, photo of your pet or other proof of ownership, medical and vaccination records, newspapers or paper towels, plastic bags, and a first aid kit.
- Make sure your pets have tags, tattoos, or implanted microchips for identification.
The CVMA won the prestigious Summit Award in the Associations Advance America Awards Program for Community Service because of the Disaster Response Program. The award program is a national competition sponsored by the American Society of Association Executives as part of an ongoing education campaign to raise the level of awareness about the significant contributions of associations to society.
The California Veterinary Medical Foundation (CVMF) was formed in 1995 to benefit California’s animals. A goal of the foundation is to prevent animals from becoming the victims of disasters by providing funding for relief and aid. Tax deductible donations may be made to the CVMF, 1400 River Park Drive, Suite 101, Sacramento, CA 95815. Phone: 800-655-2862, extension 42.
Visit the California Veterinary Medical Association’s website, www.cvma.netwhich is the home for an abundance of accurate and pertinent information on animal- and veterinary-related issues, including locating a CVMA-member veterinarian through “Find a Veterinarian.”,