What happens to pets after a natural disaster?

After a natural disaster, images of destruction cover our newsfeeds. Most of these focus on the destruction of the landscape, or on the resulting human suffering. In any disaster where people suffer and die, pets and livestock will suffer and die, too. This has grave consequences for the animals, of course, but also for their owners. In 1999, Hurricane Floyd caused 2.9 million pet and livestock deaths, and thousands more owners lost their pets. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was particularly devastating. The Louisiana SPCA estimates that 15,500 animals required rescue, and that 80 to 85 percent of these animals were never reunited with their owners.