It’s a sad fact that climate change is leading to extreme weather in many parts of the United States. It manifests itself in Seattle with record high temperatures leading to increasingly uncomfortable summers and poor air quality. We have also seen changes in winter weather with unexpected atmospheric rivers and snow storms.
What happens when people need to leave their homes due to extreme heat or loss of power during a cold period? What happens to their animals? Many want to take their animals with them, but this can be challenging due to issues such as mobility and the availability of centers that accept companion animals.
HB 1012 is a bill addressing the response to extreme weather events. It is currently winding its way through the Washington State Legislature. As of this posting, it has passed the State House of Representatives and is being considered in the State Senate. Regardless of its fate, extreme weather will continue to affect companion animals and their human families as long as climate change remains.
Background
According to HB 1012 bill reports, the record heatwave of 2021 was the deadliest weather-related disaster in Washington on record, with over 100 people in Washington and nearly 800 people in the Pacific Northwest region losing their lives due to inaccessible cooling centers or resources. Hundreds more visited emergency rooms with heat-related illnesses.
The Emergency Management Act establishes a comprehensive program of emergency management in the state under the direction of the state's Adjutant General (an adjutant general is the senior officer in a state’s military which includes the National Guard.). The Adjutant General administers a state program for emergency assistance to individuals who are victims of natural disasters.
HB 1012 establishes a Disaster Response Account in the State Treasury that can provide extreme weather response grants. These grants would be available for cities, counties and tribes showing a lack of resources to assist vulnerable populations such as those with disabilities, the homeless, those without cars, and low-income individuals.
How Does HB 1012 Help Companion Animals?
HB 1012 recognizes that companion animals are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, including increased risk of heatstroke-related illness and death. It also recognizes the challenges in finding pet friendly accommodations. This can be a major barrier to accessing heating and cooling centers and other resources. It can also prevent individuals from evacuating to safety as they do not want to abandon their animals. To address this, the Disaster Response Account grants could be used to compensate jurisdictions for transporting individuals and their pets to warming and cooling centers. This would be an important advance in keeping animals together with their human families, making extreme weather victims more willing to evacuate.
While this bill is meant to address those jurisdictions and tribes with fewer resources than Seattle, we are currently unaware of Seattle’s plans to provide these services. It would be ironic if one of the most wealthy cities in the State of Washington would find itself applying for these grants. This will be a topic for a future post.