When two tornadoes touched down near Montezuma Creek, Utah, families on the Navajo Nation saw their lives upended. Three homes were destroyed, leaving residents shaken and without shelter. Miraculously, no people were injured — but an unknown number of pets and livestock remain missing, injured, or trapped in the wreckage.

For many Navajo families, animals are more than property. They are loved companions, sources of livelihood, and part of cultural life. Losing a dog, cat, horse, or sheep in a disaster is a deeply painful blow, especially in a community where veterinary services and animal shelters are already scarce. Families now face not only the challenge of repairing homes but also the heartbreak of searching for animals who may be hungry, hurt, or lost in unfamiliar terrain.

Disaster relief in rural and tribal lands has too often overlooked animal rescue. While families receive housing assistance, pets and livestock are left behind, with little funding or coordination for their care. That cannot happen here. Tornadoes in this part of Utah are rare — only two had been confirmed in San Juan County since 1950 — which means local systems were not prepared to respond. But rare disasters still demand a strong, compassionate response.

We call on Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, the Navajo Nation Council, the Utah Division of Emergency Management, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to immediately mobilize resources for animal search-and-rescue, veterinary care, and temporary shelter for displaced pets and livestock. Partnerships with animal welfare groups should be activated now, so no family is forced to choose between their safety and their animals’ survival.

Every family deserves to be whole again — and that includes their animals. Tornado victims should not have to endure the trauma of losing pets or livestock simply because disaster planners failed to include them.