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The focus of many for the past weeks has been Hurricane Katrina and the devastation she created when striking coastal Mississippi and Louisiana communities. Our thoughts go out to those who have family or friends affected by this tragic event. Nine of our SART members were mobilized to assist in Mississippi as part of the response and recovery efforts; a brief report of their experience is highlighted in our first story this month -- Florida SART Travels to Mississippi to Assist in Katrina Recovery.
October's Tip of the Month provides direction for locating human and furry family members displaced by the storm.
Special thanks is extended to all who have helped during this time of need through SART, churches or other human-need organizations. A thank you also goes to those who have volunteered to help, even if you were turned down; your willingness to help is appreciated. |
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Florida SART Travels to Mississippi to Assist in Katrina Recovery
After impacting the lower Florida
peninsula with Category 1 winds and over 20 inches of rainfall
on Monday, August 26th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina moved into the
Gulf of Mexico and began its track towards a second landfall
more destructive than the first. Katrina charged ashore as a
strong Category 4 storm creating catastrophic damage in Mississippi
and Louisiana. Mississippi's State Veterinarian, Dr. James Watson,
officially requested assistance from Florida's State Agricultural
Response Team (SART) to help organize the Mississippi Board of
Animal Health's (MBAH) ESF-17 response one week after Katrina's
landfall.
A nine-person SART Incident
Management Team (IMT) of Florida SART members representing several
agencies was activated. Members included:
- Greg Christy (FDACS), Area
Commander
- David A. Perry (FDACS), Incident
Commander
- Gary L. Painter(FDACS), Deputy
Incident Commander
- Phil Anderson (FDACS), Logistics
Section Chief
- Dr. E. Hank Doten (FDACS),
Safety Officer and Technical Specialist
- Martha L. Wagaman (USDA APHIS
VS), Planning Section Chief
- Tom Ackerman (USDA-OIG), Security
Unit Leader
- Bill Armstrong (FACA), Companion
Animal Issues Branch Director
- Brantley Ivey (UF-IFAS Extension),
Animal Feed Procurement, Staging, and Distribution Branch Director
By September 4th, the SART
IMT gathered at the Logistical Staging Area (LSA) located at
the North Florida State Fairgrounds in Tallahassee for tetanus
vaccinations and a briefing from Florida's State Veterinarian,
Dr. Tom Holt, and Bureau Chief of Animal Disease Control, Dr.
Bill Jeter.
On Monday, September 5th, a
two-person "recon" team headed to an area south of
Jackson. Mississippi to select an appropriate ESF-17 Incident
Command Post (ICP). On Tuesday, the SART IMT traveled to Hattiesburg
and established the ICP. Feed and Hay Receiving and Staging,
Veterinary Treatment, as well as Large and Companion Animal Housing
Facilities were established. Since members of the Humane Society
of the United States and two federalized Veterinary Medical Assistance
Teams were already operating in the impacted area, the SART IMT
established command and control over the organizational structure
to ensure mission consistency with a unified chain of command.
Thirty-eight assessment personnel
from within Mississippi, representing USDA APHIS Wildlife Services
and Veterinary Services, VMAT, MBAH, and Mississippi State University
Extension Services were checked in at the ICP, photographed,
and provided with ID credentials and official ESF-17 vehicle
placards. The assessment teams conducted damage and needs assessments
in the six "dairy belt" counties and then moved south
into the heavily damaged counties of Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson.
On the first evening of field operations, 83% of the 144 assessments
indicated damage to livestock industry facilities.
Over the next several days,
remote ESF-17 Animal Compounds were established in Hancock, Harrison,
and Jackson counties. Emergency veterinary care operations, companion
animal sheltering, and feed distribution were provided at these
sites. Displaced animals were transported to the Hattiesburg
ICP for long-term care and sheltering. By Tuesday, September
13th, the number of rescued companion animals processed and sheltered
at the Forrest County MPC shelter in Hattiesburg approached 1000.
Transition of ESF-17 management at the ICP from Florida SART
personnel to MBAH personnel began on Sunday, September 11th;
SART members assumed deputy roles to provide assistance and advisement
to the new managing team. The SART IMT packed their equipment
and demobilized on September 14th after decontaminating the vehicles.
The team returned to Tallahassee for debriefing and much needed
rest.
Florida State Agricultural
Response Team agencies participating in the response efforts
in Mississippi included:
- Florida Animal Control Association
- University of Florida IFAS
Extension
- Humane Society of the United
States
- Disaster Animal Response Teams
- Emergency Animal Rescue Service
- Florida Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services
- USDA APHIS Veterinary Services
- USDA Office of Inspector General
Additionally, the University
of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine provided care and
shelter for displaced animals and the Florida Cattlemen's Association
provided livestock products and hay to impacted Mississippi cattlemen.
-- Greg Christy
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SART to Receive Support
from VETS
When Hurricane Charley, the
first major hurricane of 2004, struck Florida in August, it did
not take long for the "animal stories" to surface.
Injured, missing and displaced pets became a concern not just
for affected pet owners, but also for organizations attempting
to reunite lost animals with their owners and administer needed
veterinary care to them. The state veterinarian's office, administratively
a part of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services,
dispatched several teams from the University of Florida College
of Veterinary Medicine (UF-CVM) to south Florida and other parts
of the state last year when it became clear how valuable the
services of coordinated veterinary teams, such as those sponsored
by UF, really were.
In the aftermath of last year's storms, UF-CVM Dean Joseph DiPietro
reached out to the state veterinarian's office for assistance
and support. State veterinarians came to UF to provide incident
command and planning training to those who had expressed interest
in becoming involved. The college has formed a team consisting
of John Haven, team leader; Dr. Michael Porter, large animal
section leader; and Dr. Cynda Crawford, small animal section
leader, to become an official part of the State Agricultural
Response Team (SART).
This team of UF-CVM individuals, called the Veterinary Emergency
Treatment Service (VETS), is a component of SART that can be
called upon to set up an incident command post close to an impacted
area in the immediate aftermath of a hurricane to administer
veterinary care to affected animals.
"Our initial responsibility, as part of the SART operations
group, will be to assist in assessing the impact on the local
veterinary practices," Haven said. "If we decide after
the immediate assessment that it's necessary, we will set up
a mobile small animal hospital that will provide immediate care
and triage to animal patients as well as care to large animals."
Haven said the VETS team will work with the Florida Veterinary
Medical Association (FVMA) and the Florida Association of Equine
Practitioners (FAEP) to make veterinarians aware of what the
team could offer them after a disaster and how best to ensure
two-way communication between VETS and practitioners both during
and after a catastrophic event.
-- Sarah Carey, Director of
Public Relations, University of Florida College of Veterinary
Medicine and John Haven, VETS Team Leader, University of Florida
College of Veterinary Medicine
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Disaster Workshops
at the 2005 FVMA Annual Meeting
On September 10, 2005, a series
of disaster workshops were held for attendees of the 2005 FVMA
Annual Meeting. SART was represented by members Dr. Thomas Holt,
Director of the FDACS Division of Animal Industry, and Elizabeth
Wang, UF-IFAS. Other speakers included Dr. Lisa Conti, Florida
Department of Health Public Health Veterinarian, and Dr. Welch
Agnew, Assistant Director of Pinellas County Animal Services.
Approximately 30 people attended each session and participated
in constructive discussion. Thanks to all who attended!!
Presentation topics were:
- When You Hear Hoofbeats, Don't
Let the Zebras Run Over You -- Dr. Lisa Conti
- State Emergency Operations
Center and Animal Response -- Dr. Thomas Holt
- Your Role in the State Agricultural
Response Team -- Elizabeth Wang
- State Emergency Field Coordination
for Animal and Agricultural Issues -- Dr. Thomas Holt
- Community Disaster Planning:
Development of Your Disaster Response Plan -- Elizabeth Wang
- Pets & Disasters: Personal
Planning -- Dr. Welch Agnew
The slide presentations used
in these workshops have been posted on the SART Web site. Click
on the follow link to go directly to the page:
<http://www.flsart.org/headline/FVMA/fvma05.htm>.
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First East Coast TsunamiReady
Community Recognized
In early July, the National
Weather Service recognized central Florida's Indian Harbour Beach
as the first community on the east coast of the United States
to become TsunamiReady. TsunamiReady is a voluntary, community-based
program that stems from the National Weather Service's StormReady
initiative. Both programs foster a well-designed emergency response
plan on a community-by-community basis. As of August 1, there
were 22 TsunamiReady communities across six states. For more
information about the TsunamiReady program, see the November
2004 (pp. 11-12) and July 2005 (pp. 5-6) issues of the Natural
Hazards Observer or visit <http://www.tsunamiready.noaa.gov/>.
-- As reported in Natural Hazards
Observer, September 2005, Natural Hazards Center, University
of Colorado, Boulder
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Seven New Hurricane
Buoys Deployed
In June, the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) National Data Buoy Center
(NDBC) launched six new weather data buoy stations designed to
enhance hurricane monitoring and forecasting. The buoys have
been deployed in key locations in the Caribbean, the Gulf of
Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean. A seventh buoy re-established
a former station off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. Following
last year's active hurricane season, the NDBC received $1.8 million
in supplemental funding from Congress for the new buoy stations.
Wind, wave, barometric pressure,
and temperature data from the new stations will help the NOAA
Tropical Prediction Center more accurately determine formation
or dissipation, extent of wind circulation, maximum intensity,
and center location of the tropical cyclones. In addition, direction,
height, and distribution of ocean waves generated by hurricane
activity will be measured. Beyond their measurements of tropical
cyclones, the buoys are also expected to provide year-round data
for analysis and forecasts of other marine disturbances. Data
from the buoys will also be used to validate the quality of measurements
and estimates obtained from remote-sensing reconnaissance aircraft
and satellites and National Weather Service forecasts.
For more information, visit
<http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2005/s2458.htm>.
Access data from the new buoys (stations 42039, 42055, 42056,
42057, 42058, 41040, and 41041) at the NDBC's Web site at <http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/>.
-- As reported in Natural Hazards
Observer, September 2005, Natural Hazards Center, University
of Colorado, Boulder
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2005 ISDR International
Day for Disaster Reduction
This year, the United Nations
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) will celebrate
the ISDR International Day for Disaster Reduction on October
12, 2005. Using microfinance and safety nets to increase disaster
resilience is the primary theme of the 2005 campaign. The objective
is twofold: to sensitize the social and financial communities
and institutions on their potential role in reducing disaster
risk and to raise awareness in the disaster and risk management
community of the utility of existing financial tools and safety
nets to reduce the vulnerability of hazard-prone populations.
Find out more from the ISDR Web site at: <http://www.unisdr.org/eng/public_aware/world_camp/2005/2005-press-kit.htm>.
-- As reported in Disaster
Research, 437, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado,
Boulder
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Tractor Safety for
Disaster Recovery Brochure Available
A new brochure has been produced
by the University of Florida IFAS Extension Service. It is a
trifold brochure focusing on key safety tips for situations that
are likely to occur during disaster recovery operations. Some
topics covered include:
- Side and rear overturns
- By-pass starting
- PTO entanglements
- Road travel
- And more
The brochure can be accessed
on the Florida Ag Safe Web site at: <http://www.flagsafe.ufl.edu>.
The brochure link is directly beneath the banner on the home
page.
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National Fire Prevention
Week, October 9-15, 2005
In an effort to battle home
fires before they start, Florida is taking a lead role in the
national Fire Prevention Association's (NFPA) Fire Prevention
Week, October 9-15, 2005.
NFPA selected the 2005 Fire
Prevention Week theme in order to highlight a growing home fire
concern. The theme, "Use Candles with Care: When you
go out, blow out!" is a memorable and effective safety
message. Home candle fires have risen steadily over the last
decade.
In addition to using candles
safely, Floridians are urged to ensure that smoke alarms are
installed on every level of the home and kept working with monthly
testing and annual battery replacement.
All smoke alarms should be
replaced with a new unit after ten years. Each member of the
household needs to know the fire escape plan, and all should
practice it twice a year. Floridians can learn more about candle
safety and all forms of fire prevention by visiting NFPA's official
Fire Prevention Week Web site at: <http://firepreventionweek.org>.
--From the Florida Division
of Emergency Management Web page: <http://www.floridadisaster.org>.
** Look for more
on fire prevention and safety in November's Sentinel!! **
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Training Media Spotlight
-- Introducing Florida Aquaculture
Florida's aquaculture industry
is diverse, including freshwater tropical fish, shrimp and live
rock, among other products. According to the Florida Department
of Agriculture and Consumer Services, aquaculture makes a $100
million contribution annually to the state agriculture receipts.*
To better understand this industry, Introducing Florida
Aquaculture was developed to provide an overview of the
industry's characteristics.
After taking this training
course, participants are able to describe why aquaculture is
a viable Florida industry, list and discuss various industry
characteristics, discuss U.S. import, export and market flows,
name agencies involved with aquaculture and identify resources
available to find out more information on Florida aquaculture.
A lesson plan, participant
workbook and slide presentation are available for this training
unit. Introducing Florida Aquaculture is appropriate
for a wide range of audiences and can be utilized in training
county SARTs, recruiting agencies and members, and for achieving
general educational needs in organizations outside of SART. These
documents are available to view and download from the Florida
SART home page at <http://www.flsart.org>.
Click on "Training Materials."
*Florida Agricultural Statistical
Directory 2004. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services. The most recent statistics for aqauculture are for
2001 revenues.
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The SART SENTINEL
Editor: Gregory S. Christy,
DVM, State ESF-17 Coordinator, Florida Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services, Division of Animal Industry
Associate editor: Elizabeth
A. Wang, UF/IFAS, University of Florida
The SART SENTINEL is an e-mail newsletter prepared monthly
by Dr. Gregory S. Christy and the staff of the Florida State
Agricultural Response Team. Past issues of the Sentinel are archived
on the Florida SART Web Site: <www.flsart.org>.
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Disaster Links
For additional information
on agriculture, animals, and disaster, visit:
Florida SART Home Page: <www.flsart.org>
UF/IFAS Disaster Handbook: <http://disaster.ifas.ufl.edu/>
Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN): <http://eden.lsu.edu/>
For a complete list of all
SART participating agencies, visit the Florida SART Web site:
<www.flsart.org>.
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Tip of the
Month! -- Finding Loved Ones,
Human and Furry, in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina
<www.katrinasafe.com> -- Evacuees wishing to inform loved
ones of their location can register their name by clicking on
"Report My Location" from the navigation on this site.
Concerned family members can view the list of those loved ones
already entered by clicking on "Find Evacuee." The
Red Cross has established a toll-free hotline, 1-877-LOVED1S
(1-877-568-3319), for those who do not have Internet access or
would like to check this list without a computer.
Animal Emergency Response
Network (AERN) is an
on-line missing pets database at: <http://disaster.petfinder.com/emergency/>.
Established by Maddie's Fund and Petfinder.com, owners can use
this database to report a lost pet, report pet(s) that need rescue
or placement in foster homes, or request assistance for pets
with them. Individuals wishing to volunteer to provide foster
homes for pets may also register here. Reports of found, rescued,
and sheltered pets with descriptions of breed, color, sex and
last known location are updated continually; please check AERN
often.
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