The difficulty of evacuating with pets is one of many reasons that people don’t always “just leave” when a hurricane hits.
Just ask Matt Varga, a resident of Kendall, Florida who said he was denied boarding on a plane fleeing Hurricane Irma because he didn’t have the proper carrier for his dog, Meeka.
At Miami International Airport, Varga told CNN’s Randi Kaye that he had visited 10 stores attempting to find a carrier, but all were sold out.
Federal regulations are strict about how pets can be transported on planes, which include having an approved carrier for the animal. But some people, including anchor Anderson Cooper, felt the airline should have made an exception in an emergency.
“It’s not a huge dog, you think they’d make an exception,” he said after the interview.
Social media users also pointed to the example of the Fort McMurray wildfire in Canada last year, when a pilot for energy company Suncor went against policy in order to save 36 pets from the blaze — including cats, dogs, hedgehogs, a chinchilla and frogs. In that instance, pilot Keith Mann said he had to bend some rules, including how many animals are allowed on a flight and what parts of the plane they can occupy, in order to do what was right.
Varga’s sister wrote on Facebook that her brother’s ticket was with American Airlines. American Airlines was not able to immediately confirm to HuffPost whether this was accurate.
After a devastating number of animals died when their owners were forced to leave them behind during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 ― and some people remained in harm’s way to stay with their pets ― Congress passed the 2006 Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act. The bipartisan bill mandates the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure that evacuation plans in federal disasters include pets.
While that’s a huge improvement, it doesn’t mean evacuating with pets is always easy. For one thing, contrary to rumor, the PETS Act does not require private companies like hotels to make special accommodations for pets. It also doesn’t change regulations around air travel.
As for Varga, he told CNN he’s going to be riding out the storm in Kendall with his dog.
“’Cause you’re not going to leave her behind?” Kaye asked.
“No, of course not,” said Varga, laughing as Meeka tried to lick the microphone.
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A dog is rescued from the flood waters of Tropical Storm Harvey in Beaumont Place, Texas, U.S., on August 28, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman
HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 30: A cat sits on top of a car which is surrounded by flood water in the parking lot of an apartment complex after it was inundated with water following Hurricane Harvey on August 30, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi August 25, has dumped nearly 50 inches of rain in and around Houston. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 30: Shannon Danley carries a rabbit to a rescue boat after it was found floating in floodwater in an apartment complex after it was inundated with water following Hurricane Harvey on August 30, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi August 25, has dumped nearly 50 inches of rain in and around areas Houston. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
A cow swims trying to get out of the Hurricane Harvey floodwaters near East Columbia, Texas August 29, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Wilking
Pets belonging to evacuees sit in a crate at the Delco Center in east Austin, Sunday, August 27, 2017. The Red Cross says, if needed, they are prepared to handle 350 people in the Delco Center. As of Sunday afternoon, a total of 24 dogs, 20 cats, and 5 birds have been registered and volunteers from the Austin Animal Center say they can handle approximately 20 more animals depending on size. Tropical Storm Harvey lashed central Texas with torrential rains on Sunday, unleashing 'catastrophic' floods after the megastorm -- the most powerful to hit the United States since 2005 -- left a deadly trail of devastation along the Gulf Coast. / AFP PHOTO / SUZANNE CORDEIRO (Photo credit should read SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP/Getty Images)
A woman holds her dog after being rescued from rising floodwaters due to Hurricane Harvey in Spring, Texas, U.S., on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. A deluge of rain and rising floodwaters left�Houston�immersed and helpless,�crippling a global center of the oil industry and testing the economic resiliency of a state thats home to almost 1 in 12 U.S. workers. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images
HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 30: Standing water continues to impact neighborhoods in north Houston as flood waters began to recede following Hurricane Harvey August 30, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The city of Houston is still experiencing severe flooding in some areas due to the accumulation of historic levels of rainfall, though the storm has moved to the north and east. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
A man carries a dog after being rescued from rising floodwaters due to Hurricane Harvey in Spring, Texas, U.S., on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. A deluge of rain and rising floodwaters left�Houston�immersed and helpless,�crippling a global center of the oil industry and testing the economic resiliency of a state thats home to almost 1 in 12 U.S. workers. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images
ROCKPORT, TX - AUGUST 26: A dog stands guard over a section of the Saltgrass Estates apartments Saturday afternoon after Hurricane Harvey destroyed the complex. (Photo by Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 27 2017: Elma Moreno comforts her dog, Simon as they are loaded on to a trucks after being evacuated from their flooded apartment. Tropical Storm Harvey is causing major flooding throughout Houston and Southeast Texas. (Photo by Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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Flor Portilla finds her mothers cat that was stuck in a tree outside her home in East Houston, Texas after Hurricane Harvey on Tuesday, August 30, 2017. John Taggart for The Washington Post via Getty Images
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ROCKPORT, TX - AUGUST 26: Steve Culver cries with his dog Otis as he talks about what he said was the, 'most terrifying event in his life,' when Hurricane Harvey blew in and destroyed most of his home while he and his wife took shelter there on August 26, 2017 in Rockport, Texas. Harvey made landfall shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, just north of Port Aransas as a Category 4 storm and is being reported as the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Wilma in 2005. Forecasts call for as much as 30 inches of rain to fall in the next few days (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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ROCKPORT, TX - AUGUST 26: Valerie Brown walks through a flooded area after leaving the apartment that she road out Hurricane Harvey in on August 26, 2017 in Rockport, Texas. Harvey made landfall shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, just north of Port Aransas as a Category 4 storm and is being reported as the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Wilma in 2005. Forecasts call for as much as 30 inches of rain to fall in the next few days. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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John Tuan returns to rescue his dog who was left in his flooded house in the Clodine district after Hurricane Harvey caused heavy flooding in Houston, Texas on August 29, 2017. Floodwaters have breached a levee south of the city of Houston, officials said Tuesday, urging residents to leave the area immediately. / AFP PHOTO / MARK RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
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