Disasters and Animals | 165 U.S Army flight surgeon Capt Devry C Anderson, of HHC 2-4 Aviation, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas, holds a small dog named Chip after he was rescued with his owner, Friday, September 2, 2005 in New Orleans (AP Photo/Haraz N Ghanbar) comes from a chemical spill in Weyauwega, Wisconsin Early in the morning on March 4, 1996, 35 cars of a train derailed while passing through the town Fifteen of the cars carried propane, and five of these caught fire At 7:30 am, residents of 1,022 households were ordered to evacuate because of the risk of explosion Emergency managers anticipated that the response would take several hours The effort instead took over two weeks, reflecting the unpredictability of disaster response Half of the 241 pet-owning households left their pets behind Others who were not at home at the time had little choice Shortly after the evacuation, pet owners began to reenter the evacuation zone illegally to rescue their pets, at considerable risk to their own safety Following protocol, emergency managers prevented residents from entering their own homes In response, a group of citizens made a bomb threat on behalf of the animals, which directed considerable negative media attention at the response Four days after the evacuation, the Emergency Operations Center organized an official pet rescue, supervised by the National Guard and using armored vehicles The Human-Animal Bond Approximately 70 percent of American households now include pets, which exceeds the numbers that include children The majority of pet owners consider their pets members of the family Thus, the human-animal bond is a powerful presence in our society Interaction with animals has positive effects on people’s mental health and physical well-being