Emergency Animal Sheltering (Part IV)

Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team

Emergency Animal

Sheltering

• Same approach as earlier presentations

• Typical plan

• Ideal plan

Emergency Animal Shelter

• Typical• Limited stakeholder input

• Historical data

• No capacity determination step

• Ideal• Broad stakeholder input

• Based on what is possible

• Clear identification of local capacity

2018-19 Camp Wildfire Response Texas A&M VET and AgriLife Extension

Shelter Management (A)

Rotating groups of volunteers

Shelter Management (B)

Core Leadership Group

Public Information (Plan A)

Communication via social media and area news outlets include

• Location of shelter

• What kind of pets are accepted

• Hours for visitation

Plan B Public Information

Shelter-Specific Public Information

Anticipating the needs of those who might utilize your shelter, additional information could be provided on...

• Resources for sheltering: where can people get food?

• Information on resources for those sheltering in place: how can people access veterinary support? Where can people go for clean water?

Publicizing information for owners of lost/missing animals...

• Where are found animals sheltered? Separately?

• Where should owners go to claim pets?

• What information is needed to claim pets? Photographs with family? Microchip information? Health records or other documentation identifying distinctive characteristics or markings?

Templates for prepared messaging can be written for incidents such as on-site animal injuries or infectious disease outbreaks

Public Information (B)

Excellent public information during disasters...

• Answers: who, what, when, where, why, & how

• Is memorable: messaging is easy to remember and sometimes utilizes repetition

• Is meaningful: anticipates the needs of the impacted

• Is miniature: messaging is direct and simple

• Is sensitive to those impacted by a disaster (and to those wanting to help)

• Should always express compassion

• Excellent information on sheltering includes...

• Everything in Plan A

• Shelter capacity

• Locations for large and small animal sheltering (if separate)

• Requirements for pets staying at the shelter

• Feeding requirements, vaccination/health records, identification, species-specific information, such as record of Coggins Test for horses

• Contact information

Information Requests

Sheltering organizations should also anticipate receiving a lot of direct/instant message questions on social media and via email...

Pre-crafted answers can be an efficient way of answering large volumes of questions; these answers can be copied and pasted from a document and personalized to respond.

• During Hurricane Harvey, requests for information drove the need for additional messaging in three areas...

• Volunteers: how, when & where people can help

• Donations: how, when & where people can bring supplies

• Animal rescue: where people can go for assistance

Plan A Admissions

Plan A Admissions

• Paper-based

• No pre-admission

• Incomplete information from rescue

• No veterinary medical support

Plan B Admissions

Complete information from rescue

Plan A Housing

Species Separation(not ideal)

Lax biosecurity

No secondary containment

Animal Care

Primarily untrained volunteers and owners

Plan B

Animal Housing

Animal Care

Trained oversight and on-boarding JIT untrained volunteers and owners

Animal Discharge

Questions?