Md. Looks to Set Up an Animal Disaster Plan

[Lilypad]

Everyone remembers the pets lost in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Or worse, the pet owners who chose to stay in harm's way rather than leave their animals.
Maryland and other states are taking a new look at what they'd do with pets and livestock in case of disaster, and it's not just a warm-and-fuzzy consideration. Confusion about what to do with animals can slow evacuation efforts. Pets left behind complicate rescue efforts. And in case of mass animal casualties-say, a chicken farm floods and thousands of birds die-the carcasses can create a public health danger.

"In disasters, time and time again, the needs of animals play a role in response," said Paul Hibler, deputy director of the Montgomery County Police Department's animal services division. "Animals are also impacted by disasters and-we've seen in Katrina-they were actually interfering with the responders helping people."

Hibler and about 100 other animal workers gathered last week in Linthicum to begin work on a State Animal Response Team. It's a nonprofit group of veterinarians, rescue workers, animal control officers and even representatives from zoos and aquariums. The group will map a plan for what to do in emergencies and take orders from the state Department of Agriculture in case of disaster.

Maryland is roughly the 20th state to set up an animal disaster plan, said William Gentry of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. North Carolina was the first state to formalize animal disaster planning after Hurricane Floyd in 1999, when about 3 million animals died, many of them swine and poultry.

"Private citizens really didn't know who to contact for help. And they didn't know who would help them," said Jimmy Tickel of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.

Animal workers in Maryland have been worrying about the same thing for years. In Charles County, where a 2002 tornado killed five people, county extension agent Pamela King realized there was no plan in place for animals.

"It was a miracle we didn't lose any animals," King said. "It picked up some pigs, but none of them were killed. But I didn't get a call for two weeks asking if there were any dead animals. 2 weeks! That was a problem. If we had had dead animals for 2 weeks, we would've been screaming."

Efforts to write a statewide plan picked up after Hurricane Katrina.

Maryland's new animal response team will compile a list of all available shelters statewide, plus gather contacts for volunteers and shelter groups that could help. The team offer aid in natural disasters that affect people and for any animal-only emergencies, such as an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

"You need to identify who the people are who would respond," said Dr. Jacob Casper, a retired veterinarian with the state Department of Agriculture who is organizing the animal plan.

"Are you going to need trucks? Are you going to need catch poles? Are you going to need medication? All those questions we need to ask," Casper said.

Many states are taking a new look at their plans for animals in disasters. Virginia sent veterinarians to Maryland's planning meetings, and Delaware also has written an animal emergency plan. Pennsylvania set up an animal emergency team last year.

"I think every state will do one," said Dr. Robin Schmitz, head of the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association. "They have to be prepared to take on not just the human side but the pets."

Congress is considering requiring animal response plans. The House and Senate have voted to make it mandatory for a state to have a plan to receive Federal Emergency Management Agency money, though a final version of the requirement hasn't been worked out, said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States.

"When we were down there during Katrina, there was no policy that instructed first responders on how to handle animals," Pacelle said. "It was left to the conscience of individual responders as to whether to rescue the animals."

Pets were a main reason some people didn't evacuate, Pacelle said. "There's just no doubt there were thousands of people who stayed behind because of their animals," he said.

The destruction of Katrina made all animal workers think about whether their plans were sufficient, said Jim Rapp, director of the Salisbury Zoo, who attended the meeting.

"If you get your worst nightmare storm, you need to have a plan," said Rapp, whose zoo holds about 200 animals. "Since Katrina, everything's changed."