As Florida residents prepare for Hurricane Irma, pet owners in the state will need to take extra precautions to help their animals.
Aaron Johnson, director of the Montgomery County Animal Shelter in Conroe, Texas, was on the ground helping stranded animals to shelters after Hurricane Harvey struck the state last month. He advises Florida pet owners to be prepared and follow evacuation orders.
"People just really need to have a plan," he said today on "Good Morning America." "Know where they’re going to evacuate if they need to evacuate, listen to authorities [and] do evacuate."
Mandatory evacuations have already been ordered for Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys, and parts of Broward Count
That advice is echoed by the Humane Society of the U.S., which says in an emergency guide posted online to make sure at the very least cats and dogs are wearing collars or identification tags.
During the storm
The Humane Society tells pet owners to include their pets in the safe area of the home where they are sheltering too.
The "safe room" in the house is where pets' emergency supplies should be stored as well, including food and water, medications and crates.
For cats, make sure "unsafe nooks and crannies" in the home are sealed off so frightened cats do not have a place to hide.