"What some people fail to realize is how attached people will become to animals, to the point of causing themselves danger. This has always been my argument for things like food-banks and vet care for the pets of homeless individuals. "
Evacuation shelters refusing to take animals has always been one of the main reasons that people refuse to leave their homes during hurricanes (at least in Texas). They will not abandon their animals any more than they would abandon any other family member to evacuate.