Pet Evacuation Preparedness: An Examination of Older Adults’ Needs for and Proximity to Pet-Friendly Shelters in Florida

Although studies have documented the importance of pets in evacuation decisions, little is known about either the availability of emergency shelters accepting pets or older adults’ needs for these shelters. This study addresses this issue by examining the availability of pet-friendly shelters in Florida and older adults’ needs for these shelters. Using U.S. Census Bureau data, the authors examine the geographic distribution of these shelters, particularly as it relates to age-related demographics. Findings from the 2013 American Housing Survey Census data indicate that in the Miami-Dade metropolitan area, the most densely populated area in Florida, 31 percent of adults aged 65 and older have pets -- 40 percent of whom reported needing help evacuating their pets. However, the 2014 Florida Emergency Shelter plan reveals that Miami-Dade County offers only 2 pet-friendly shelter locations, while a neighboring county, Broward, offers only one location. GIS accessibility measures demonstrate that current travel time factors can impede older adults from using pet-friendly shelters while results of logistic regression indicate a significant association between pet ownership and reported need for public shelters, specifically for pet owners who need extra assistance evacuating their pets. However, pet owners (including those that do not need help evacuating their pets) are less likely overall to state that they would use public shelters. Implications of these patterns in pet shelter needs and availability underscore older adults’ already heightened vulnerability during Florida’s hurricane season, particularly considering the strong impact of pets on individuals’ evacuation decisions.

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• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABR30 Standing Committee on Emergency Evacuations.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Douglas, Rachel
  • Kocatepe, Ayberk
  • Barrett, Anne E
  • Ozguven, Eren Erman
  • 0000-0001-6006-7635
  • Gumber, Clayton
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 96th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2017-1-8 to 2017-1-12
• Date: 2017

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 19p
• Monograph Title: TRB 96th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged; Animals; Evacuation; Weather conditions
• Geographic Terms: Broward Country (Florida); Florida; Miami-Dade County (Florida)
• Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01628176
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 17-06190
• Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 7 2017 10:25AM