Be Pet Prepared

How to prep your pets for natural disasters with a checklist from Houston SPCA

Houston SPCA pet emergency kit

Have a kit packed and ready to go.

Photo courtesy of Houston SPCA

Tropical Storm Alberto brought heavy rain and coastal flooding to Texas, so now more than ever is the best time to make sure you and your pet are properly prepared.

“Even before a hurricane or other natural disaster strikes, it’s critical to prepare essentials for all your family members, and that includes your pets to help reduce their stress levels, especially if you have to evacuate,” says Dr. Roberta Westbrook, chief animal welfare and medical officer at the Houston SPCA.

As the lead agency during natural disasters for pets in the greater Houston area since the early 1980s, the Houston SPCA’s Emergency Response Team has rescued countless animals during natural disasters, including the Memorial Day floods, Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Ike, as well as assisted with animals left behind after Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas.

Here's what you should do now to be ready:

A pet emergency kit should include a two-week supply of pet food and water as well as medication and vaccination records.
Ensure dogs and cats wear collars with ID tags, in addition to having a microchip with current contact information.
Add a second contact outside the greater Houston area in case land lines and cellphone towers are not working immediately following a disaster.
Check the fence line and gate in your backyard to block any possible escape routes.
Bring your pets inside your home in advance of a hurricane or flooding event.
Create a safe place for pets, such as the inside of a pet crate in a quiet room. This will keep them from hiding and it enables you to evacuate more quickly if necessary.
Place some of their favorite toys in their crate — having them can help lower anxiety levels.
Just like your other family members, make sure your pet isn’t near windows or shelves during a disaster.
If you must evacuate, be sure to take your pet. If conditions are unsafe for people, they are unsafe for pets. Pet owners should identify an evacuation route and make temporary housing arrangements well before a storm hits.

A printable checklist in both English and Spanish can be found here.

During the record-breaking number of hurricanes near the Gulf Coast in 2020, including Hurricane Laura, the Houston SPCA Emergency Response Team transported, provided medical care, and/or adoption services for more than 450 animals along the Gulf Coast, including Galveston Island Humane Society between late August through September.

During Hurricane Harvey, the Houston SPCA Emergency Response Team:

Rescued 2,300 Harvey-impacted dogs, cats, equine, farm animals, and native wildlife.
Reunited 300 animals — including 88 horses — with their original owners.
Distributed 120 tons of donated pet food and supplies throughout the community.

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Follow Houston SPCA on X (formerly Twitter) and set notification for real-time updates in the event of a local disaster.

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H-Town rising

Houston leaps back into top 50 'World's Best Cities' list for 2025

Downtown Houston skyline at night

Photo by Adrian Newell on Unsplash

Houston made a big leap back into the top 50, ranking No. 40, after previously plummeting into No. 72 last year.

Lively Houston has regained its rightful place among the top 50 best cities in the world, according to a prestigious new report by Resonance Consultancy.

The Canada-based real estate and tourism marketing advisors ranked Houston the 40th best city worldwide for 2025 in its annual "World's Best Cities" list.

The report quantifies the relative qualities of livability, "lovability," and prosperity for the world's top 100 cities with metropolitan populations of 1 million or more. New to the 10th anniversary edition, Resonance partnered with global market researchers Ipsos to include perception-based data into the rankings, surveying over 22,000 people in 30 countries worldwide to determine "the most desirable places to visit, live or work."

Houston made a major rebound after plummeting to No. 73 in last year's report. In 2022, Houston ranked No. 42.

Resonance refers to its previous "World's Best Cities" reports and its 2024 "America's Best Cities" list – which ranked Houston in the top 10 – when explaining the Bayou City's successes. The report praised Houston's vast cultural diversity and placed a great focus on its economic prosperity, even going so far as to suggest Houston residents make more money "and can sock more away."

"...[W]here America’s fourth-largest city truly takes off is in its economic heft and wealth, ranking No. 9 globally for GDP per Capita and No. 14 for Fortune 500 companies in town," the report said. "All that rolls up into an overall Prosperity index ranking of No. 36, which is even more impressive given the No. 14-ranked Price-to Income Ratio [of the city]."

Elsewhere in Texas, Austin and Dallas also earned spots on the World's Best Cities list for 2025, but only one made a similar rebound from the previous year's rankings. Dallas moved up from No. 66 in last year's report to its current rank as No. 55. Meanwhile, Austin took its first tumble out of the 43rd spot (which it had occupied for two years straight) and now ranks No. 53.

London held onto its crown as the No. 1 best city in the world for 2025, followed by New York (No. 2), Paris (No. 3), Tokyo (No. 4), and Singapore (No. 5).

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