Help for the storm's four-legged victims

This year has been a test of sorts for national animal protection organizations - and local governments - after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike slammed into the Gulf Coast in a two-week span.

Disaster response teams from the Humane Society of the United States, ASPCA, Best Friends, and others set up temporary shelters in Shreveport, Louisiana - and now Nacogdoches, Texas to handle the influx of refugee animals as well as cats and dogs from shelters that were destroyed by Ike.

The HSUS' disaster response team has land rescue vehicles, boats, a mobile command center and a 75-foot transport vehicle capable of carrying 200 animals.

If it's possible to look at the bright side in the wake of so much destruction - the animal rescue effort (and pre-storm preparedness) highlighted significant improvements since Katrina's devastation three years ago, when more than 250,000 animals perished.

This time around, there was a government safety net: the Pets Evacuation and Transpotation Standards (PETS) Act passed by Congress in 2006 that requires cities and states to accomodate animals in their disaster preparedness programs. Second, dozens of states have since created State Animal Response Teams with highly-trained responders. Finally, the rescue effort was far more organized and people with pets were more willing to evacuate than in previous disasters.

These situations illustrate how silver linings can emerge from terrible situations and the importance of considering animals in disasters will continue to improve in future disasters - whether floods, fires or hurricanes.

Note: the cat in the photo above sought refuge from Ike in a tree and was rescued by HSUS. :)