San Bernardino County on Nov. 12, 2026 urged residents to include pets in El Niño storm planning, citing coordinated response work by the county’s Animal Care and Office of Emergency Services.

The county said Animal Care and the Office of Emergency Services collaborate during emergency activations to coordinate resources, support pet sheltering and reunification, and provide public information to help families protect animals.

Practical steps the county lists include bringing pets indoors before storms and adding them to household emergency plans; prepare a pet emergency kit with food, water, medications, leashes, carriers and other essentials; keep identification tags and microchip contact information current; and keep a recent photo of each pet to aid identification.

For evacuations the county advises identifying pet‑friendly places to stay, planning safe transport, and leaving early if an evacuation warning is issued, especially for pets or large animals that need extra time to relocate; the county’s guidance includes the directive to never leave pets behind.

The county highlighted a short preparedness message: "Ruff weather ahead? Prepare your pets before the storm," and directed readers to San Bernardino County Animal Care and Prepare.SBCounty.gov/ElNino for more tips and resources.

San Bernardino County also encouraged residents to follow Ready San Bernardino County on social channels for ongoing preparedness updates.

Sources & methodology

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County of San Bernardino

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