Donate to Rescue Animals After Natural Disasters

When hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes and floods strike, pets and animals are often among the most vulnerable. American Humane Society’s Rescue Team deploys trained first responders and our iconic, specially equipped vehicles to disaster zones across the country to locate, shelter and provide emergency veterinary care for animals in crisis, from livestock to cats, dogs and pocket pets.

Your donation puts boots on the ground when animals need help the most.

What Your Donation Supports

Every disaster is different. A wildfire demands rapid search and rescue. A hurricane often means days of sheltering, feeding and reuniting pets with displaced families. A large-scale case of cruelty or neglect can require weeks of specialized veterinary rehabilitation.

Across all these responses, donations to American Humane Society fund:

Search and Rescue Operations

Our first responders travel the country with a fleet of specially equipped 38-foot trailers, trucks and boats, deploying directly to disaster zones to locate and recover animals in danger. These state-of-the-art vehicles serve as mobile operating bases in the field, allowing teams to begin work immediately upon arrival.

Responders will establish pet feeding stations in the disaster zones to provide nourishment to pets sheltering in place and to help safely coax them out of hiding, so they can be reunited with their families.

Emergency Sheltering

When animals are displaced, our teams set up and operate temporary emergency shelters to house, feed and care for them until they can be safely reunited with their families or placed in permanent care.

In 2024, American Humane Society rescued and sheltered 1,200 animals across seven disaster responses and assisted more than 85,000 animals nationwide.

Critical Veterinary Care & Second Chance Grants

Injured and sick animals receive hands-on emergency veterinary care in the field. This means everything from wound treatment and triage to ongoing rehabilitation for severe neglect cases.

To help local shelters and rescue partners handle the overwhelming medical costs of animals rescued from severe neglect, our Second Chance® Grant program provides immediate funding for emergency surgeries, diagnostic testing and critical veterinary treatments.

In 2025, we delivered hands-on care and rehabilitation in a major Texas equine neglect case involving more than 100 horses and donkeys. In 2026, we provided the same critical support for over 100 neglected dogs.

Pet Reunification

After a disaster, one of the most critical tasks is getting pets back to their families.

During the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, our team successfully reunited more than 1,060 pets with their owners and conducted over 1,660 welfare checks on animals in shelters and affected neighborhoods.

Emergency Food and Supplies

Disaster-affected animals need immediate nutrition and basic care. During our response to the Los Angeles wildfires, our team distributed more than 63,300 pet meals to animals in need and worked alongside World Central Kitchen at its free meal distribution sites across the city. We also partnered with local groups to coordinate the emergency airlift of more than 340 adoptable shelter animals to safety.

During the March 2026 Hawaii flooding response, we delivered 57,000 meals for cats and dogs, along with critical rescue supplies.

Community Wellness Clinics

Between deployments, our Rescue Team brings free pet wellness clinics to underserved and disaster-prone communities. Local families receive veterinary exams, vaccinations, flea and tick prevention, microchipping and care packages at no cost.

In 2025, these clinics served 628 pets across communities including Nashville, Tennessee and Belle Glade, Florida and with generous support from partners like PEDIGREE Foundation, Mars, Banfield Pet Hospital, VCA Animal Hospitals and Zoetis.

What $35, $50 and $100 Can Fund

Every dollar you give helps save animal lives. Here is what your donation can do.

$35 — Emergency Care Packages for Evacuating Families

When families evacuate with their pets, they often leave with nothing. Your $35 donation can provide three pet care packages — each filled with pet food, bowls, a leash, a blanket and treats — so displaced families can keep their animals fed, safe and close during the most chaotic hours of a disaster.

$50 — Medical Supplies or Meals for 100 Animals

A $50 donation can supply one veterinary station at our free community wellness clinics with the medical supplies needed to treat animals in underserved and disaster-prone communities.

Your $50 donation can also provide pet food to nourish 100 animals sheltering in place during a disaster, reaching pets whose families could not evacuate.

$100 — An Airline Crate to Airlift Shelter Animals to Safety

When a disaster threatens an entire shelter population, our team coordinates emergency airlifts to move adoptable animals out of harm’s way.

Your $100 donation can provide a large airline crate to safely transport a shelter animal by air. We used the same kind of crates when our team airlifted more than 340 adoptable pets to safety during the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.

Why Donate to American Humane Society

Not all animal welfare organizations do what we do. Here is what sets American Humane Society apart in disaster response.

More Than 100 Years of Rescue Experience

Our emergency rescue work dates back to 1916, when the U.S. Secretary of War officially invited the organization to care for wounded animals on the battlefields of World War I. This historic effort led to the creation of the American Red Star® Animal Relief program (now our modern Rescue Team), which cared for an estimated 68,000 wounded horses a month.

From Pearl Harbor to 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina to the 2025 LA wildfires, American Humane Society has been on the ground and leading the response for some of the most significant disasters in our nation’s history.

Rapid Deployment, Nationwide Reach

Rescue units are strategically stationed across the country to ensure coverage in every region.

When a disaster declaration is made, our teams are ready to deploy within hours. When the Los Angeles wildfires broke out, our responders were on the ground within the first 24 hours, conducting welfare checks and preparing emergency shelters.

DHS-Approved Professional Training

Our Animal Emergency Services Training is a Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-approved, two-day training course. This course is included in FEMA’s catalog of approved emergency preparedness courses. This is the professional standard our Certified Animal Rescue Responders are trained to—and the standard communities rely on when we arrive.

Our Rescue Team conducts these trainings across the country to ensure local animal control organizations and passionate volunteers have the necessary skills to help animals during times of disaster.

American Red Cross partnership and the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition

Our multi-year partnership with the American Red Cross integrates pet sheltering and animal care directly into national disaster response plans. When the Red Cross deploys to care for people, our teams collaborate to help ensure that family pets are never left behind.

American Humane Society also serves on the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC), a coordinating body that brings together federal agencies, animal welfare organizations and emergency management professionals to strengthen animal disaster preparedness and response across the country.

Proven Financial Accountability

American Humane Society holds a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, accreditation from the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid (GuideStar). In fiscal year 2025, 87% of all spending went directly to program services. Nine percent went to fundraising and 4% to general administration.

Frequently Asked Questions