Last year, the country experienced multiple natural disasters that placed animals in harm’s way, from the tumultuous flooding in Louisiana and West Virginia to the deadly hurricane that stuck South Carolina. 

American Humane Rescue is committed to helping communities nationwide plan for crises like these by offering training courses on animal-related disaster preparedness and emergency response. 

This month, our team of experienced first-responders led two two-day training sessions in Tucson, Arizona, at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona’s Companions for Life Center. The courses—which covered topics such as temporary animal sheltering in disaster zones and safe animal handling techniques in crisis situations—were a wonderful educational experience for all who attended. 

The attendees, who included representatives from the Tucson-area animal welfare community and more–with one attendee even traveling from South Carolina for the course!–gathered together to learn about and act out potential roles that would be crucial in times of disaster. Basic safe handling techniques were demonstrated on two beautiful horses—a paint horse named Banjo and a sorrel horse named Choctaw. 

While natural disasters are often unpredictable and unexpected, having a disaster preparedness plan in place ensures that communities can offer safe, responsible animal care in times of crisis. We were so pleased that the Tucson, Arizona, community demonstrated such enthusiasm for the training sessions and dedication to caring for animals across the nation.