IMPORTANT DISASTER INFO re: Different States, FEMA, Disasters and Leaving Pets Behind!!

[Guest guest]

Permission to CROSS POST!! This is important info to keep on hand and use in order to prepare your areas for future disasters. Very informative and useful. jo-wolf (Jo Wolf)Mon, 15 Jan 2007 03:34:22 -0500Re: [terrier-rescue] Springfield, MO - Governor Declared Disaster- Pets STILL being left behind!!MAY CROSSPOSTNote that all states have not yet had time to make all of the necessarynegotiations for pet shelters in disasters. FEMA had recommended, infact had been almost directive about, provision of pet shelters a goodnumber of years ago.,,, back in the 1990s! But it took specificlegislation to start to kick the program into action. Until the stateoffice of Emergency Management has at

least an outline of plans inplace, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for counties and citiesto prepare refined and workable plans.... It's a trickle-down effect,and FEMA may not have the final documents in the field yet.The requirement is NOT to put all pets into the same shelters as thehumans (allergies, space, pathological levels of fear of variousanimals, animals unsuitable for the environment, owners unable to managetheir animals in the environment, etc.). The requirement is simply forevacuation and shelters for animals. For instance, the variationsinclude.... co-shelter where the animals are in the same building ashumans (not necessarily in the same rooms)... with the variation therefor one family member with or in adjacent rooms to the pets, and therest in another part of the same facility...; The pets in one buildingand humans in a nearby shelter with the variation that one family membermay stay with

the pet and the rest of the family in another shelter;and all animals in a shelter and all humans at some distance. Livestocktype pets such as horses and pigs and donkeys go tolivestock-appropriate facilities. Exotic pets may be housed at one ortwo central places in an entire state. Pocket pets and birds... andcats... also need seperate safe locations. Not every county will havethe right combinations of facilities available for everything.... andgetting people and pets to them offers still another problem. Andpeople will still be the first priority, especially in emergencies thatwill likely be ones that require only short term sheltering. Ideal is small pets and their humans in one facility, with ownersproviding all care under supervision. This means a pretty largefacility... or several. Next best is seperate but very nearbyfacilities for animals and humans. My county in GA has thisarrangement, as does the

adjacent county, but we're the only counties inthe region of the state which have the buildings to do this on anyscale. Unless space is overcrowded, one family member can stay with thedogs/cats, and the rest go to other shelters within 2-3 miles, at a parkrec facility and several nearby small churches. Existing animalshelters can be used for sheltering pets, as well.... not exactly ideal,as they will be crowded, and help from owners will not be feasible inmany cases; local animal welfare groups with shelters will normally beasked to participate in this type of program. Horses often will go toboarding stables and equine centers, racetracks, fairgrounds withstables, etc.And then there's the issue of crates for safety and space, etc.... Itcan take a while to accumulate these, along with all of the housekeepingsupplies and equipment! The animal sheltering "set" for my county takesup a good chunk of warehouse space,

and must be loaded, transported,unloaded and set up. Not exactly instant... It is state or countyproperty, not ARC... which is legally permitted to only house and carefor humans, under federal government charter. The Salvation Armyshelters are private enterprise, and not required to shelter anyone oranything unless operating under the ARC umbrella... just like yourchurch could provide some independent sheltering or other services. Sothat means that the pet sheltering system also needs the gear forhousing humans when they are kept together.... with arrangements forhuman feeding. etc. In my county, then, the ARC and some supportingsmall churches near our fair grounds (which is owned by the merchantassn., not the county) will shelter the humans for the most part... andprovide for the humans staying with animals to come to the main sheltersfor meals and showers. The County EMA office keeps a list of qualifiedvolunters who

will assist in shelter operations.When the animal shelters/ animal-human shelters will have to be locatedin facilities not owned by governmental agencies, there must be signedcontracts, inspections of facilities by local and State Ag Deptofficials (and livestock facilities require same) ahead of time.... andevery time that facility changes ownership and on a recurring basis(some changes in the facility may make it unusable for this purpose).This contracting and inspection process is not instantly accomplished!!!The Salvation Army must also negotiate and contract for facilities whenoperating independently. ARC shelters are usually placed where thecounty/regional EMA office has negotiated space, however, as a teamproject.If you get the opportunity to take a seminar in Animals in Disaster,often co-hosted by HSUS and your state Dept of Ag, TAKE IT! It will beboth interesting and informative. FEMA also has two

correspondencecourses on animals in disasters.... TAKE THEM! The courses are free,and not difficult or terribly long.And, please, before you fire off letters to ARC and Salvation Army inprotest, consult Your County or state region for office of EmergencyManagement and find out who is now responsible for what, and legallycharged with what duties, with this new law; they will know how it worksfrom the federal level down. AND do remember that sometimes plans haveto be cancelled in mid-stream due to power/water outages, damage tofacilities, isolation of facilities by the storm, etc. Since humanscome first, if just one shelter is knocked out of the picture locally,it can preclude a pets-people shelter being provided.Some states are much farther ahead than others in this process... sortof based on obvious need. The Carolinas and Georgia, all subject tohurricanes each year and as evacuation centers for both sides of

Floridaand other Gulf Coast states, have been working in this area for close toa decade. North Carolina and Georgia were the first states to add a DVMto the state level Emergency Management offices... which helped themreally get the programs off the ground. They have even had trainingsessions in large animal rescue using heavy equipment and helicopters.Your county EMA office may even have some great free handouts for thepublic for disaster planning for pets. I have the GA handout that wegive to our obedience students, and I have seen one from South Carolinathat was made available to our old dog training club in that state. Ifyou are in those two states, you could get copies to hand out with youradoption packets. Ask in your state.Note that in 2005, when Florida was looking for places to move theirshelter animals to make space for pre-and-post-storm intake of ownedpets, the state Ag Dept. was calling just about

anything they found inyellow pages that they thought might have kenneling facilities (like thedog training school where I work... which does Not have kennels), butnot calling animal welfare groups or county animal controlfacilities.... or state or county EMA offices.... the latter officesbeing the appropriate places to start. So there is a lot of work to bedone, at all levels.and it will take a couple of years to get thingsinto place. This is an area where those of us who work in animal welfare in theprivate sector need to be participants, in the planning and provision ofservices, as well as making plans for the animals that we have on hand,and putting them into operation promptly as needed, and educating thepublic. Does Your group have emergency plans on paper and annuallyreviewed, especially for mutli-animal foster homes and shelters? Areall of your foster homes aware and ready? We need to be just as

ready(or more so) as our local governments before we get too critical....:-P That old line about "If you aren't part of the solution, you arethe problem," which is so true in many areas, could be thrown back atus.But know where the criticism in this emergency lies before you protest.It could well be the state and/or counties, Not the ARC and certainlynot the Salvation Army. The duties are all assigned from the federallevel down, and the final documents may not even be in the field fromFEMA yet, given the continuing organizational problems of that office.It is not unusual for the provisions of a law to take a year or more togo into effect, and another 1-3 years to put them to work. Remember,too that you have access to "the system" through your state and federallawmakers, if other sources fail to provide information or services. Jo WolfMartinez, Georgia

Have a burning question? Go to Answers and get answers from real people who know.