In Galveston, TX, many of the people refused to leave their homes because there was no way for them to care for their pets. It slowed the overall evacuation plan. Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas and her staff were concerned that, with approaching Hurricane Rita, many of the residents would not leave their pets behind and, consequently, slow or dramatically hinder the evacuation progress.

In coordination with the local emergency management and law enforcement agencies, they put out the word through their Civilian Response Teams that citizens who otherwise did not have independent transportation could bring their pets with them to evacuation centers.

This leadership decision dramatically increased timely compliance with the evacuation order and freed a large percentage of responders from having to search out people who ordinarily would not have complied due to their concerns for their pets.