Facing disasters together: how keeping animals safe benefits humans before, during and after natural disasters

More than half of the world's households are thought to contain at least one companion animal. Animals can affect how humans are impacted by natural disasters, how they respond to such events and how well they can recover from them. For this reason alone, there is a real need to keep animals safe before, during and after natural disasters, and to do so in ways that contribute to, rather than compromise, human safety. This paper outlines the negative implications of failing to account for animals in disaster plans and/or to accommodate them in shelters. It also outlines how including animals in disaster response can provide benefits for the physical and mental health and well-being of humans that extend well beyond the disaster event. These implications are discussed in broad terms for the guardians of small and large companion animals, livestock producers and emergency responders with examples drawn from a variety of natural and human-made hazards. Finally, this paper suggests that research on people who do not attempt to save, rescue or evacuate with animals could provide important insights into natural disaster behaviour and human-animal relations.