Hurricane and Storm Preparation for Pets in New Orleans

By Scout & Company Companion Pet Care

Storm season is part of life in New Orleans. For most people, the preparation process is familiar by now. But pets add a layer to that process that’s easy to put off until a storm is already named and tracking toward the coast, and that’s exactly when there’s no time left to figure it out.

The decisions that protect pets during a hurricane are almost all ones that must be made in advance. This guide covers what those decisions are and what it takes to be genuinely ready before the season begins.

Identification and Microchipping

This is one of the most overlooked details, and one of the most important if something goes wrong. Disasters displace pets. They slip out of open doors, bolt from the noise, or get separated during evacuation. In the chaos that follows a major storm, reuniting with a lost pet without any form of identification is extremely difficult.

A collar with current tags is a starting point, but tags can fall off or become unreadable. Microchipping is a permanent form of identification that stays with your pet regardless of what happens to their collar. The American Veterinary Medical Association strongly recommends microchipping all pets and keeping registration information current, including your phone number and a secondary contact who can be reached if you’re displaced.

Before storm season, take a few minutes to verify that your pet’s microchip is registered and that the contact information on file is accurate. If you’ve moved or changed your number since the chip was registered, update it. That small step can make the difference between finding your pet and not.

Building a Pet Emergency Kit

A well-stocked emergency kit for your pet should be ready before a storm is ever in the forecast. Pulling it together under pressure, when store shelves are already cleared and time is short, is not the moment to be making these decisions.

Food and water are the foundation. The ASPCA recommends having a minimum of five to seven days of food and water set aside for each pet, along with bowls, a manual can opener if you use canned food, and sealed storage containers to protect dry food from moisture. In a flooding scenario, the water supply can be compromised quickly, so having more than you think you’ll need is the right approach.

Medications deserve special attention. If your pet takes a prescription medication, have at least a week’s supply in your kit and keep it rotated so it stays current. Contact your veterinarian before storm season about obtaining an emergency supply, if possible. Include written dosing instructions in case someone else needs to administer medication on your behalf.

Documentation is easy to overlook until you need it. Keep a waterproof copy of your pet’s vaccination records, any prescription information, and your veterinarian’s contact details in your kit. Many emergency shelters and pet-friendly hotels require proof of current vaccinations, and having those records on hand can prevent a situation where you’re unable to find appropriate accommodation because the paperwork isn’t accessible.

Round out the kit with a leash, an extra collar, a secure carrier, waste bags, a familiar blanket or toy, and a recent photo of your pet. The photo serves two purposes: it helps with identification if you’re separated, and it documents ownership if questions arise during a recovery situation.

Evacuation Planning with Pets

The single most important thing to know about evacuating with pets is that it requires planning. You cannot do it the day before a storm. Pet-friendly accommodations fill up quickly when a major hurricane is approaching, and options narrow significantly once an evacuation order is issued.

Start by identifying at least two or three pet-friendly hotels along your likely evacuation routes and save their direct phone numbers, not just a website. Booking platforms don’t always reflect real-time availability during a regional evacuation, and calling directly is more reliable. The Federal Emergency Management Agency advises building this into your evacuation plan well before storm season rather than researching it under pressure.

If hotels aren’t a viable option, think through your alternatives now. Friends or family outside the affected area who can take you and your pets, boarding facilities in cities along your route, or emergency pet shelters operated by organizations like the Louisiana SPCA are all worth identifying in advance. Know which option you’re pursuing before you need to pursue it.

Transportation logistics need to be thought through as well. Every pet should have a secure carrier or be safely restrained during travel. Loose pets in a vehicle during an evacuation are a safety risk for everyone. If you have multiple pets or large animals, make sure your vehicle and your plan can accommodate all of them. This sounds obvious until it isn’t.

The American Veterinary Medical Association is direct on one point that bears repeating: never leave pets behind. Animals left in homes during major storms face conditions they may not survive, and returning to them is not guaranteed. If you are evacuating, your pets evacuate with you.

How Pets Handle Storms

Dogs and cats experience storms differently than we do, and often more intensely. Barometric pressure drops before a storm arrives, thunder and lightning are distressing, and the disruption of routine and environment compounds that stress. Some pets handle it quietly. Others become destructive, vocal, or try to escape.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals notes that storm anxiety in pets is common and can range from mild restlessness to severe panic. Signs to watch for include panting, pacing, trembling, hiding, excessive vocalization, destructive behavior, and attempts to escape. Knowing how your specific pet responds gives you a better chance of managing it effectively.

For pets with known storm anxiety, talk to your veterinarian before storm season about options. There are prescription medications, over-the-counter calming supplements, and behavioral tools like pressure wraps that can take the edge off for animals that genuinely struggle. Having something on hand before a storm is forecast is far better than trying to get an appointment when every other pet owner in the city is doing the same thing.

During the storm itself, keep pets in an interior room away from windows. Maintain as much of their normal routine as the situation allows. Stay calm yourself. Pets read their owners closely, and anxiety can move in both directions.

Staying Local During a Storm

Not every storm requires evacuation, and staying put comes with its own set of preparations. Power outages, flooding, and downed trees can disrupt routines for days after a storm passes, even when the storm itself isn’t catastrophic.

Before a storm arrives, make sure your pet’s space inside the home is secure and away from windows or anything that could become a hazard. Identify a safe interior room where you and your pets can shelter if conditions worsen. Have enough supplies on hand to sustain your household, including your pets, for several days without leaving the house.

Keep pets indoors during the storm and in the immediate aftermath. Even if conditions outside seem manageable, animals don’t always assess risk accurately. Dogs that bolt at thunder can run into dangerous conditions before you can stop them. Cats allowed outside after a storm may encounter hazards that weren’t there before.

Be aware of how the storm affects your pet’s behavior even after it passes. The stress of the event doesn’t resolve immediately. Some animals remain unsettled for hours or days afterward, and giving them extra structure, calm interaction, and a consistent environment helps them return to baseline more quickly.

After the Storm

The period immediately following a storm carries its own risks, and they’re easy to underestimate when you’re focused on assessing damage and getting back to normal.

Standing water is one of the most serious hazards for pets after a hurricane or major storm. Floodwater in New Orleans and similar cities contains sewage, chemicals, and bacteria that can cause serious illness. Keep pets out of standing water entirely and rinse their paws thoroughly if they have any contact with it. The Louisiana Department of Health consistently advises treating all floodwater as contaminated, regardless of how it looks.

Displaced wildlife is another post-storm concern that catches people off guard. Snakes, nutria, and other animals driven out of their usual habitat by flooding sometimes turn up in neighborhoods and yards. Keep dogs leashed during walks until the area has had time to return to normal, and check outdoor spaces before letting pets out unsupervised.

Debris, downed power lines, broken glass, and compromised fencing all create hazards that aren’t always obvious when you’re walking a dog through a neighborhood that looks mostly intact. Stay aware of what’s on the ground and what your pet is approaching. A line that appears dead may not be, and a fence that held through the storm may have shifted enough to create a gap.

If your pet shows any signs of illness in the days following a storm, including vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea, or unusual behavior, contact your veterinarian. Post-storm environments expose animals to things they wouldn’t normally encounter, and catching an issue early is always better than waiting to see if it resolves.

Closing

Hurricane preparation for pets isn’t a separate task from preparing yourself. It’s part of the same plan, and it requires the same lead time. The families who come through storms with the least disruption are almost always the ones who made decisions about their pets in July, not the night before landfall.