Disasters and Animals: Legal Treatment in the United States | 171 the disaster area for fear of diseases such as heartworm Following Hurricane Katrina, the dangers to people of governmental failure to provide for evacuation of companion animals became clear People who refused to evacuate without their animals endangered themselves by remaining in an unsafe situation Rescue workers were endangered when trying to save people who had stayed or who tried to return to unsafe areas to protect their companion animals Rescue workers also faced the dangers of trying to capture abandoned animals, who were often terrified or aggressive and difficult to remove In addition, animals who were left alone sometimes turned to foraging for food or died in houses or in the streets, causing safety, health, and hygiene problems for people returning to the area The dangers to people prompted legislators to make companion animals and service animals the subject of governmental evacuation and rescue laws and policies While livestock and wild animals are generally still left to their own devices during disasters, with at best minimal efforts at rescue and, at worst, execution to protect humans from potential harm, companion animals and service animals are now the focus of federal and state statutes and regulations affecting evacuation during disasters In 2006, Congress passed the first federal legislation to address evacuation issues for nonhuman animals during disasters The legislation amended the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, which provides for federal government assistance to the states in times of disaster The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006 (PETS Act) requires that state and local emergency preparedness plans take into account the needs of people who have household pets and service animals if the state is to be eligible to receive Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds The Act also allows federal agencies to provide assistance to protect property by providing rescue, care, shelter, and essential needs to individuals with household pets or service animals and to those pets and service animals In October 2007, FEMA released Disaster Assistance Policy 9523.19, which sets out the costs related to emergency pet evacuations and sheltering activities by state and local governments that may be reimbursed by FEMA following a declaration of a major disaster or emergency This policy defines a household pet as a “domesticated animal, such as a dog, cat, bird, rabbit, rodent, or turtle that is traditionally kept in the home for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes, can travel on commercial carriers, and be housed in temporary facilities.” Under the policy definition, “reptiles (except turtles), amphibians, fish, insects/arachnids, farm animals (including horses), and animals kept for racing purposes” are not household pets and are not be covered by the policy State legislatures also reacted in the aftermath of Katrina, passing their own laws to require inclusion of animals in state disaster plans In 2006, Louisiana amended its disaster act to require that the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness assist in the formulation of parish emergency operation plans for “humane evacuation, transport, and temporary sheltering of service animals and household pets in times of emergency or disaster.” The Louisiana act made a distinction between service animals and household pets Under the act, provisions must be made for a service