As Hurricane Ike sets its eye on the Texas Coast, thousands of coastal residents are going to be mandated to evacuate their homes.

In the aftermath of Katrina, it was discovered that many of those who suffered the greatest losses were those who stayed behind because they were unable to bring their animals with them in an evacuation. Following that experience, federal law now allows evacuees to bring their pets. Although it is not currently mandated that evacuees must be allowed to leave with livestock, to many horse and livestock owners, the impact of losing these animals would be devastating. For this reason, the Brazos County Animal Issues Committee has been working since Hurricane Rita to prepare not only for small companion animals, but also for larger ones as well.

The Brazos County Emergency Management Team, in cooperation with the Brazos Animal Shelter and the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine, has been preparing to receive animals arriving with evacuees from Hurricane Ike. A unique part of the sheltering plan in Brazos County has been the response plan for those evacuating with horses and domestic livestock.

Animal owners in Brazos County are asked to first go to the reception center at Veteran’s Park, where they will receive shelter assignments. Large animals (domestic livestock, including horses) and small animals will be housed in two separate locations