SPRINGFIELD - Dogs, cats and other household pets could soon have a place in the state's emergency response plans.

In response to problems that surfaced in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, state lawmakers approved a proposal last week requiring the state to have a plan in place that addresses the needs of pets.

The measure now awaits Gov. Rod Blagojevich's signature.

The legislation was proposed in response to images of people tearfully leaving their pets behind in the desolation left in Katrina's wake.

It also is aimed at addressing those people who wouldn't leave their pets behind as floodwaters surrounded their homes.

The prospect of a similar situation reared its head this weekend, when winter storms knocked out power and forced many people from their homes.

Patti Thompson, a spokeswoman with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, said planners recently received a federal grant to study the best way to deal with pets during emergencies.

And the state's terrorism response task force has been studying various models to determine the best way to deal with pets and their owners when evacuations are under way, Thompson said.

Ledy VanKavage, legislative director for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said she hopes the governor signs the legislation.

"Pets are members of the family. It's taken our police and rescue people a long time to realize that," said VanKavage. "This was a huge problem during Katrina. It was a logistical nightmare."

Thompson said the state has had some experience in dealing with the issue.

In February 2003, a freight train derailed in the Southern Illinois town of Tamaroa. Several of the derailed cars contained vinyl chloride, hydrochloric acid, methanol and formaldehyde.

Some of the cars caught fire, prompting officials to begin evacuating residents within a three-mile radius of the derailment.

At that time, Thompson said the state took pets to a holding area at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, several miles to the south of Tamaroa.

"We've done some of this in real life," she said.

In the case of Katrina, however, the widespread damage led to some confusion because there was not a coordinated response to the issue of pets that were left behind.

A statewide plan could alleviate some of those problems, VanKavage said.

Kurt Erickson can be reached at kurt.erickson@lee.net or 789-0865.