It is estimated that an average of 75,000 homes get damaged in some way every year in America because of natural disasters. We see tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes throughout the country everyone will likely eventually see the effects of what this planet can do. When you are the victim of any type of disaster you begin to realize that there really are only a few things that we need to survive. One of them is a safe and secure shelter.

Once a disaster has struck, one of the first organizations that you will find in the area attempting to provide shelter is the Red Cross. They are not only usually offering people without somewhere to go a place to stay and sleep, but are also able to offer basic medical attention. Volunteers and workers might come from far away to help make sure that people are still fed and have a safe place where they can decide what to do next.

Shelters have also proven to be very important for those who have been separated from their family and other loved ones throughout the span of the disaster. Everyone from their Michigan home or that community in Florida, for example, that is brought into the shelter is required to sign-in that they are staying at that site. This way if a loved one is trying to find them they will be able to do so my checking the list of all of those that are staying there.

Shelters could be set up in schools, community centers, or even places that offer large open spaces like gyms or arenas. It is really anywhere that is large and unaffected by the disaster and can hold a large amount of people. Supplies and staff are brought in from elsewhere to equip the site so that people can live there until they are able to return to their home or make other arrangements. Many times people are not able to choose which shelter they are brought to in the midst of the disaster.

There are not just shelters these days for people but for animals as well. During a huge disaster like the flood in New Orleans hundreds of animals that had been lost or abandoned along the way were saved and cared for. Many people are grateful of this service, as it allows them to reunite with their loved pet after the disaster is over. All of the animals that still go unclaimed are then put into an adoption program where they can be brought into new homes. There are dogs and cats all over the nation all from the disaster in New Orleans.