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This disastrous year shows just how important emergency pet preparedness is

October 13, 2020
Dog splashing in water at sun set

Photo by Luke Jones on Unsplash

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By: Julie Cappiello, Social Media Manager

This year has been unlike any other. With two storms brewing off the Gulf last week and wildfires devastating the west coast, it's been an extremely active season. In fact, the National Weather Service has run out of names for hurricanes this year—shifting to using Greek names. In addition, we're on track to have the most storms recorded in a single hurricane season since 2005 with two more months to go.

What's worse is earlier this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a study predicting hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones are not only becoming more frequent, they are stronger than previous decades.

According to NOAA's study, there is an 8% increase that storms this decade will become stronger and potentially more deadly than the last decade. As the South continues to be slammed with these dangerous hurricanes—with "unsurvivable" storm surges—the west coast is ablaze, with more than 4 million acres burned. These fires are fast-moving, with some residents needing to evacuate at a moment's notice.

What these disasters have taught us is an emergency preparedness plan is a requirement for every family. Disasters can strike at a moment's notice, and more than 85 million families in the U.S. who have pets must be ready to include their animals when they do. World Animal Protection has been rescuing animals from disasters for more than 55 years, so we've learned from experience the exact things pets need when uncertainty hits.

Your Natural Disaster Preparedness Checklist should include:

  • Carriers, leashes, harnesses
    • Be sure to have these readily accessible (by exits), so you can grab them at a moment's notice. Fill these with favorite blankets and toys, so your pet has familiar smells and their favorite things to play with—it will help comfort them. If you have an animal who doesn't need a carrier, make sure there is a bag ready with these items.
  • Identification
    • Microchip your pets, but also keep that information updated! Additionally, make sure they have collars with your updated contact information in case they get separated from you.
  • Nonperishable water and food
    • The CDC recommends at least two weeks of food and water per pet in your household. During disasters, pets may tend to drink more water due to stress, and keeping your pets' food consistent will ensure there are no upset stomachs from changing their diet suddenly. Don't forget a can opener!
  • Medications
    • If your pet is on medications, be sure to have at least two weeks on hand in a waterproof container. Supplies could run low in disaster zones, so stock up. It's also important to keep first aid supplies on hand in case your pet gets hurt. Be sure to talk to your vet about specific requirements for your pet, such as tick and flea medication, antibiotic ointment, and saline solutions.
  • Medical Records
    • In a waterproof bag or container, keep copies of medical records in case you need to use a vet who is unfamiliar with your pet. You can also store these digitally through G-Drive, Dropbox, Sharepoint, or in your email. Include behavioral quirks your animal may have, such as becoming aggressive when scared or reclusive around new people. Nobody knows your pets better than you, and these notes can come in handy if you need to leave your pets with trusted friends, family members, or shelter/rescue.
  • Shelter
    • Not every shelter allows pets for various reasons. Make sure you identify animal-friendly shelters outside of the disaster area or trusted family and friends who can look after your pets while the disaster occurs and during disaster recovery.
  • Current Photos
    • In case of separation, current photos of your pets—including with you in them—can help make the reunification process easier. Be sure to also take photos of distinguished markings, like fur patterns (i.e., a female cat with three black dots on the left-back leg or a male black dog with white/gray snout and paws).

As disasters continue to increase in intensity and frequency, it's important to be prepared for our world to change in the blink of an eye. With this checklist, you are more ready to handle disasters and be confident you have everything you need to keep your pets safe.

For more information, please visit World Animal Protection's website.

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Can tech help female entrepreneurs break the bias?

Women founders continue to come up against common challenges and biases
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

Written by Kelly Devine, Division President UK & Ireland, Mastercard

Starting a business may have historically been perceived as a man’s game, but this couldn’t be further from reality. Research shows women are actually more likely than men to actively choose to start their own business – often motivated by the desire to be their own boss or to have a better work-life balance and spend more time with their family.

The recently published Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurship 2021 found that in the category of 'Aspiration Driven Entrepreneurship’ – capturing those who actively choose to start their own business – women in the UK surpass men: 60% vs 56%. And Mastercard research from February 2022 found 10% of female business owners started their business in the past two years compared to 6% of men – meaning women were 67% more likely to have started a business during the pandemic.

Yet, there are common challenges that women founders continue to come up against - not least the gender imbalance in the household and long-held biases which are still prevalent.

In the UK, women are almost three times more likely to be balancing care and home commitments than men, and this was exacerbated during the pandemic as the additional barriers of school closures and lockdowns meant that the care time of dependents rose significantly on a day-to-day level for women. In addition, women were less likely to have access to a home office, greatly impacting the work they were able to accomplish when working from home was the only option.

It's also widely known that female business owners are still more likely to struggle to access funding for their business ideas. According to Dealroom, all-women founding teams received just 1.4% of the €23.7bn invested into UK start-ups in 2021, while all-male leadership teams have taken almost 90% of the available capital.

Without financial support, and when juggling significant time pressures both at home and at work, how can women grow their companies and #BreaktheBias (as this year’s International Women’s Day termed it)? What tools or support can save them time and money, and give them the headspace they need to focus on building their business?

With female owned businesses collectively estimating revenue growth of £120 billion over the next five years, solving this problem is bigger than supporting women – it’s about supporting the national economy.

Using tech to level the playing field

There are clearly societal issues at play that need to be resolved. But when we look at the rise in technology businesses during the pandemic, we can plainly see an alternative source of support critical for business growth: digital tools.

A third of female business owners say new technologies will be crucial to the success of their business in the future and one in five say it is the most important thing for business growth.

With new technology comes new ways to pay, create, and work. And yet there are barriers that prevent business owners accessing this technology. Women are significantly more likely to say they want to use more digital tools but don’t know what is best for their business and also more concerned about the security of digital tools.

When technology is adopted by businesses – whether using online accounting solutions or messenger services for communicating with staff – it saves them time, allows them to maintain and grow their customer base, and ultimately increases cost savings and profit.

By drastically improving the training and support that is available to women-owned business to access and utilise technology we will allow these businesses to grow and succeed. And we know there is demand for it.

Research done by the IFC and Dalberg shows that female entrepreneurs are more likely to invest time and money in business development. This includes product development, customer base expansion, and digital tools and training and there are plenty of services available offering this type of support – many of them for free.

One such programme is Strive UK – an initiative of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth – which aims to reach 650,000 micro and small business owners across the UK and empower them with the tools they need to thrive in the digital economy through free guidance, helpful tools and one-to-one mentoring.

Working together with small business experts – Enterprise Nation, Be the Business and Digital Boost – we hope to ensure hundreds of thousands of UK female business owners have the tools they need to succeed and reach their ambitious goals. Because this ambition remains strong in the UK, with female business owners largely optimistic about the future despite the multitude of challenges they are facing. Four in ten say they will grow their business in the next five years – compared to only a third of male business owners – and they’re also 35% less likely than men to say they plan to downsize or close the business.

But if we do not empower female entrepreneurs to access the tools and technology they need to grow, there is a risk this optimism could be misplaced. Support programmes that provide business owners with guidance and mentorship can help ensure this isn’t the case, allowing female entrepreneurs to not only survive but thrive in the months and years ahead.