Nevada emergency officials are urging residents to spend September getting ready for the next disaster, after a wildfire season that left many evacuees without a real plan for themselves or their pets.

Bridget Posson, executive director of the American Red Cross of Northern Nevada, said a lack of planning was the most common issue she heard from people displaced by this summer’s fires.

“The thing that I kept kind of hearing as a trend was that they didn’t have a plan,” Posson told Fox Reno.

Nevada’s Office of Emergency Management is calling the effort “30 Days Ready,” with Chief Brett Compston framing it as a way to cut down on chaos when disaster strikes.

“Emergencies by nature are, they surprise you,” Compston said. “And so what we are asking people to do is prepare early to mitigate some of the chaos.”

We’ve spent this summer following Washoe County’s wildfire season, from the Bug Fire and Stallion Fire to the Hawk Fire’s evacuations, and pet owners were repeatedly reminded to keep a go bag ready with food, medication, a leash, and vaccination records.

The Red Cross recommends checking those supplies roughly every six months and adjusting them as a family’s needs change, which for pet owners can mean updating food amounts as a dog ages or medications change.

In Southern Nevada, the Red Cross has echoed the same message with more specific guidance for pet households, recommending go-kits stocked with food, medication, leashes, and carriers in addition to the basics every family needs.

Red Cross of Southern Nevada disaster workers responded to 264 home fires and helped 1,211 people in 2025 alone, a reminder that house fires, not just wildfires, are the disaster pet owners are statistically most likely to face.

Executive Director Rachel Flanigan said getting prepared doesn’t require buying an expensive kit all at once.

“Getting prepared doesn’t mean buying everything at once,” Flanigan said. “Start with what you already have, make a plan and add a few useful items as your budget allows.”

Nevada dog owners looking to build or refresh a pet go bag this month can start with items many households already have on hand, including an extra leash, a spare bowl, a few days of food repackaged into a grab-and-go container, and a printed copy of vaccination records in case a shelter requests one during an evacuation.