Disaster Updates
A Message from the Dean
We at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, like everyone else in the country, are overwhelmed by what we have seen on the news in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In an effort to help our colleagues and fellow citizens, the School is working with the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association, the Louisiana Animal Control Association, and the Louisiana SPCA to provide shelter and care for those pets that have traveled with their owners from the flooded areas and animals that have been rescued from those areas.
The School’s faculty, staff and students are volunteering their time at the Parker Coliseum on the LSU campus and the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, La., where animals are being sheltered.
This is not something that will end in a few days.
The School will require on-going support from the community. We desperately need volunteers, especially veterinarians and veterinary technicians, to help us in this effort. Non-veterinary volunteers are also welcome, though only those people that have been vaccinated for rabies will be able to work directly with the animals.
The animal shelters are in dire need of large crates and cages. The volunteers also need ice, beverages and food. Other animal supplies, such as food, cat litter, pooper scoopers, vaccines, antibiotics, bandages, and catheters are also welcome and needed. Monetary donations can be made to the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association by calling
1-800-524-2996 or 225-928-5862. You can also download a donation form at the LVMA website at www.lvma.org, or send a check or money order made payable to the Dr.
Walter J. Ernst, Jr. Veterinary Memorial Foundation, 8550 United Plaza Blvd., Suite 1001, Baton Rouge, LA 70809.
It is during times of adversity and tragedy that people must come together. The School of Veterinary Medicine, along with state and local animal organizations, wants to do our part by caring for as many animals as possible. Please help us in our efforts. Veterinarians and veterinary technicians who want to volunteer assistance can contact Dr. David Senior at the School of Veterinary Medicine at
225-578-9551 or dsenior@vetmed.lsu.edu.
Non-veterinary volunteers can contact the School of Veterinary Medicine at 225-578-9900. Thank you for your prayers and support.
Sincerely,
Michael G. Groves, DVM
Dean, School of Veterinary Medicine
Louisiana State University
AVMA Disaster Update #18
Event: Hurricane Katrina
Date: September 13, 2005
Situation: AVMA Hurricane Katrina Disaster Situation Report
AVMA Veterinary Medical Assistance Team (VMAT) Update:
VMAT-1: Louisiana
Barry Kellogg VMD, VMAT-1 Deputy Team Commander
VMAT Liaison MST West
The Incident Commander at the Lamar Dixon Equine Exhibition Center, which is the primary animal shelter site, is a Public Health Service (PHS) veterinarian who is doing a great job and when asked today has stated that we do not need additional veterinarians. Between PHS (now 20 of them) and VMAT (40+), we are well covered at present and for the immediate future.
VMAT- 1 has been tasked to St Bernard Parish but have not gone their yet. We have a presence at Plaquemine Parish and will continue working with the Pennsylvania DMAT which has replaced Hawaii DMAT at that site. The VMAT-1 Airport operation has shut down.
Lamar Dixon was presented with 700 animals last night.
VMAT 1 is in its second wave and 13 members will be demobilized in the next couple days and 12 new members will take their place.
VMAT has done very well and is highly respected in this theater. There has been a very effective merging of assets -- VMAT, PHS, HSUS, and others. A first…
VMAT-2: Mississippi (same information as #17)
VMAT 2 continues to stabilize patients in Gulfport (50 animals/day).
VMAT-3: Mississippi
Dr. Patrick Terry, VMAT-3 Deputy Team Commander
VMAT 3 continues to provide veterinary care in Hattiesburg (50-60 animals/day). Approximately 450 companion animals and horses are located at the Hattiesburg Animal Compound. They have processed over 650 companion animals and horses. All animals will be micro chipped. All lost pets will be posted on www.petfinder.com.
HSUS has set up a shelter in Waveland to begin servicing Hancock county VMAT will be supporting this facility.
VMAT-3 sent a 5-person strike team to Hancock County, which is in the southwestern-most corner of Miss. They are co-located with HSUS, performing a needs assessment of the area and providing medical care. Today the strike team will be in Pearlington, Miss., Hancock County, which needs veterinary care. There are no vets in the area -- all but 1 practice has been destroyed by the hurricane, which directly hit the area.
If necessary, VMAT-3 will move more people and supplies down there, depending on the results of the needs assessment.
VMAT-5: Louisiana
Garry G. Goemann, DVM, Team Commander, VMAT-5
With our disaster response trailer and cache sitting in the Dayton, OH airport, VMAT 5 has stepped up to the challenge and has created the largest disaster veterinary hospital in history. Working closely with VMAT 1 members and command staff, we have put together a formidable hospital that can triage and treat dozens of animals at one time. Close collaboration between the two VMAT Teams has provided excellent blending of staffs and a great relationship and working environment. The workload has increased as new areas of NOLA have dried and become accessible. Many rogue rescue groups (un-registered groups with the Louisiana State Veterinarian have found many animals and left them at collections points within the city. This has increased the number of animals coming to the shelter as the regular rescuers pick them up on their way in at night. Blood chemistries and hematology and electrolyte analysis on the Vetest unit provided by Idexx, combined with heartworm and parvo Snap test capability, has provided the greatest of diagnostics to these poor orphans.
Standing near the finders' desk the other day I witnessed a woman crying as she asked if her pet was possibly in the shelter. As she was asking about her beloved pet, a Texas Equine Rescue trailer came into the triage area with 80 dogs on board. In the middle of a sentence, the woman let out a horrific scream and said that is my dog before even turning to face the incoming trailer. A large golden retriever emerged from the hoard of dogs and immediately started to climb the pipe side of the trailer. He had obviously recognized his owner's voice. There was not a dry eye amongst us. That is what VMAT is all about!
The VMAT efforts are made possible from an annual grant from the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF). Those interested in contributing to the Animal Disaster Relief and Response Fund can send a check to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, Department 20-1122, P.O. Box 5940, Carol Stream, IL 60197, with “Animal Disaster Relief and Response Fund” written on the check's note section. Online donations are accepted at www.avmf.org .
AVMA's disaster preparedness booklet Saving the Whole Family is available at http://www.avma.org/disaster/saving_family.asp . Full text available for free from the Web site.
Contact Information for LA Animal Rescue Needs –
To report a lost or found animal:
Katrina@ldaf.louisiana.gov – preferred avenue for reports
Website for more information: www.vetmed.lsu.edu
Pet finder -- www.petfinder.com
HSUS --1-800-HUMANE-1
Contact Information for MS Animal Rescue Needs
To report a lost or found animal call: 1-888-722-3106 (8am-6pm daily)
Pet finder -- www.petfinder.com
HSUS --1-800-HUMANE-1
Other Reports:
Lee M. Myers, DVM, MPH, Dipl. ACVPM
State Veterinarian
Assistant Commissioner of Animal Industry
Georgia Department of Agriculture
A Georgia State Agriculture Response Team (SART) was deployed to Hattiesburg, MS to assist with response and recovery. The team consists of four veterinarians, three livestock poultry specialists, one animal health technician, and four extension specialists from the GDA, USDA-APHIS-VS and the UGA. The team will be assisting the MS Emergency Management Operations Center (EMOC), staging area and field personnel with livestock and companion animal related issues. The State of Mississippi requested the SART team through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact agreement through the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
Mississippi State Agriculture sitrep
ESF -17
Situation Report 09/12/05
Current Situation:
- The Mississippi Emergency Operations Center is activated.
- Area Command is located at the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce
- Dr. Greg Christy, Florida ESF17 Coordinator, is assisting Dr. Jim Watson the Mississippi State Veterinarian in the Mississippi state ESF 17 response efforts.
- Dr. Shelly Phillips, VS TN, continues to assist Dr. Jim Watson, as the FEMA Ert-member in Jackson, MS.
- Incident Command Post is at the Forrest County Multi-Purpose Center in Hattiesburg, MS. Mr. Ronnie White is Incident Commander.
- Florida SART team is turning over key positions in the Command and General Staff
- A Mississippi Animal Disaster Hotline is in operation (1-888-722-3106) to take calls for information, needs, and donations.
FUTURE OPERATIONS:
Incident Management Team (IMT) transition from the Florida SART to the GA team today. Florida SART Team to demob and travel to Tallahassee tomorrow 09/14/05
Data entry and analysis of damage assessments
Carcass disposal activities
Staff the staging area
Direct feed and donations
Continue to perform veterinary clinic assessments
Support private veterinary practitioners
Launch informational website
Prepare press release.
Provide daily incident action plans
Humane Society of the United States:
For disaster updates: www.hsus.org
To report a pet needing rescue: 1-800-HUMANE-1
To Volunteer: http://www.ruralareavet.org/ravs-php/volunteer_application.php
AVMA Report:
1) Volunteers to Help in Disaster Relief
The Department of Health and Human Services has established a website https://volunteer.hhs.gov and toll-free number (1-866-KATMEDI) to help identify health care professionals and relief personnel to assist in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
The US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Inspection Service is looking for volunteers (veterinarians, veterinary technicians and assistants, veterinary students) to assist in recovery efforts and in future natural and animal disease emergencies. Send an email to EmergencyVMO@aphis.usda.gov with the subject line “New NAHERC Volunteer” for more information on how you can get involved.
2) Temporary Housing/Employment Opportunities for Veterinarians and Veterinary Staff
In an effort to assist veterinarians, veterinary technicians and other veterinary staff affected by Hurricane Katrina, AVMA is establishing a list of people and clinics willing to offer temporary employment and/or housing to these displaced individuals. These offers will be posted online.
In addition, AVMA wants to establish a database of displaced veterinarians, veterinary technicians and veterinary staff so we can start assisting these individuals with finding temporary employment or housing.
If you would be interested in offering temporary employment/housing or are a displaced veterinary related individual and want to be added to our lists, email us at vetcareers@avma.org or call Cindy Coy at 1-800-248-2862 ext 6683. Please put Katrina in the subject line and give us your full name, phone number and email address (if possible) and we will contact you for more information.
We have had contact with several of the veterinary state boards in all of the states and some of the Canadian provinces and have received back about 25 responses with information regarding licensure requirements for hiring displaced veterinarians. We are encouraging the State Veterinary Medical Associations to work with their corresponding Veterinary State Boards to establish guidelines for temporary employment requirements so that you may better inform your members before they extend an employment offer. The AVMA website will also provide the information we have received from our inquiries and it will be updated daily. It is our understanding that the AAVSB has pledged to waive any score report fees for purposes of licensure in other states.
If you are a state who has already established a temporary employment job board, please send us a link to your site so we are not duplicating your efforts.
Dr. Kimberly Rudloff
Assistant Director, Membership and Field Services, ext. 6679
krudloff@avma.org
3) Information about GHLIT and PLIT Insurance – (Provided by Dr. Janet Donlin)
The AVMA PLIT, AVMA GHLIT and their endorsed insurance carriers are deeply saddened by the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. We are ready to assist you through these challenging times.
Contact information for the AVMA PLIT
The Hartford and other insurers involved in the PLIT-sponsored program that provide the business owner's package insurance, already have emergency teams in place, but they have not been able to get into most of the affected areas. This is the 5 th hurricane these insurers have been involved with since last year so they should be able to respond efficiently. We estimate that around 65 practices insured by The Hartford were in the path of the storm. Only a couple of calls have been received at this point, but as telephone communication in the affected region resumes, members insured through The Hartford may call 1-800-327-3636 (24 hours a day). If a member has any personal lines insurance (homeowners or auto) through the PLIT's endorsed carrier Liberty Mutual they may call 1-800-713-7379 or go to libertymutualinsurance.com to report a claim. If we at the AVMA PLIT may be of any assistance, please call us at 1-800-228-7548.
Contact information for the AVMA GHLIT
Customer service representatives are available to assist in answering questions regarding medical or disability claims, policy and premium inquiries, pharmacy and prescriptions as well as network provider information. The number to call for pharmacy and prescription assistance is 800-966-5772. For all other questions call 1-800-621-6360 and enter prompt 1 immediately. You then will have the option to direct your call to customer service representative for assistance with your specific question. Don't forget that you can access claim forms through our website www.avmaghlit.org .