Chapter 21 Disaster Management
Recent disaster events involving animals has emphasized the necessity for a coordinated veterinary response. The depth and variety of knowledge veterinarians possess is extremely broad and encompasses many of the necessary disaster response disciplines, including, but not limited to, areas such as protecting food safety, epidemiology, disease prevention and mitigation, and animal husbandry. The necessity for a workable, well-constructed disaster plan was highlighted by the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in 2001. The multiple hurricanes striking the U.S. eastern seaboard in 2004 brought renewed emphasis on the human-animal bond and economic impact of animals in our society. The health of our food-producing animals is the beginning of food safety. Disasters have huge overall economic consequences, but seldom impact more than when they interrupt a society’s food supply.
DEFINITION OF DISASTER
A disaster is an occurrence, such as a hurricane, tornado, storm, flood, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, earthquake, drought, blizzard, avalanche, pestilence, famine, fire, explosion, building collapse, transportation wreck, or other situation that causes human or animal suffering or creates human or animal needs that the human victims cannot alleviate without assistance. In the case of animals, there may be a lack (total or partial) of care such that there is massive animal suffering caused by, but not limited to, starvation (may or may not be weather induced), inadequate shelter in extreme situations, abuse of various natures, including, but not limited to, tying or caging animals without shelter or food or water, and other improper husbandry techniques by well-intentioned but uninformed rescuers. Disasters impacting animals may be local or regional (e.g., tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes)1, greatly affecting the rapidity and availability of relief efforts.
DISASTER PLANNING FOR COMMUNITIES
Most communities have some type of disaster management plan. The local veterinary association and the veterinarians themselves need to communicate with the local and regional planners. This will facilitate responses to veterinary concerns and coordination of the individual veterinarian’s skills and abilities.
Standard operating procedures (SOP) need to be developed regarding: how long an animal is kept before putting it up for adoption; who makes the decision when an animal is injured too badly to recover and euthanasia is in order; how is the animal documented such that an owner can recognize it; what is the protocol for treating an animal; who inventories and restocks medications and bandaging supplies, and how are these supplies managed; what type of sanitation procedures will be followed as some animals leave and others arrive. When sheltering animals: what type of documentation will be required if the owner takes the pet for a walk and then returns it; what practices will help ensure that animals are not stolen from a shelter facility; what are the procedures when volunteers come on or off duty. These are but a few issues needing to be documented and addressed by the veterinary disaster preparedness committee.
