Tens of thousands of pets — if not hundreds of thousands — were left in places like New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina because disaster response agencies told people to leave pets behind. “There was no accommodation made for pets in the evacuation.”Nita Hemeter returned to her home in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to rescue her cat and dog. Hurricane Katrina, 20 years later Hurricane Katrina, 20 years later“To make sure that people are safe,” Zorrilla said, “we have to take care of animals too.”Saving pets saves humansOne of the key takeaways for emergency responders in the wake of Hurricane Katrina was that efforts to save pets also save humans. Animal rescue teams from around the country responded to New Orleans in the weeks following Hurricane Katrina. After Hurricane Katrina, Many People Found New Strength A long-term study of people who survived Hurricane Katrina found that most were doing well, and some feel the experience transformed them.