The Humane Society of the US, in cooperation with a number of other animal organizations, did an amazing job rescuing and sheltering the animals in Louisiana this week. I have to say compared to the horrendous experience of Katrina and the incredible loss of life, both human and animal, it is great to see how quickly and efficiently it was handled this time. The only thing that I think we gained from Katrina was what not to do in the future.

HSUS has a couple of great videos showing their current operations down in Shreveport and New Orleans.

A lot of residents learned during Katrina that you can’t just leave your animals and hope that you’ll be home soon to pick them up. My Earth-conscious and passionate animal-activist friend Bettina went down and helped with animal rescue during Katrina. The pictures she brought back were heartbreaking and disturbing. I’m so glad to see how things have changed since 2005.

The Humane Society has a number of great tips for disaster preparedness. Think you’re all set? Take their quiz to find out how prepared you really are.

If you want to help prevent animal suffering, you can donate to the HSUS by clicking here.

Image courtesy of HSUS.