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Thank-you letter
from Seneca Falls Humane Society.
I want you and your readers to know is what we saw in
New Orleans!! I felt like I was back in Africa or Bosnia -
where there is little concern for life, human, feline,
canine, any kind of life. The vulnerable- the old, the poor,
and pets left behind often because their people were
promised they'd be cared for - were left injured, dying in
their homes and on the street.
Subject: Baron 9-year-old Male Golden Retriever
Mix
Owners: Amy and Sonny Borne
Darren was arrested with over 100 fighting dogs.
He learned to fight dogs in Angola as a prisoner! Darren runs Dirty South
Kennels an appropriate name:
The more I look at your site the more mad I get
at people!!!!
She said "there goes my
companion of 9 years".
Print a flyer to help us find Snowball
"The publicity over
Snowball has undoubtedly help save many other pets by galvanizing
the animal lover community. "
Ann Barnes
MYSTERY,
! WHICH DOG IS REALLY SNOWBALL ?,
Oily Dog
HAS BEEN FOUND !
Looking
for "Muffin" bellow this dog stayed with his dead owner for days where is he? We
would like to help him.
MYSTERY,
! WHICH DOG IS REALLY SNOWBALL ?,
Are any
the real Snowball?
Tanya family re-united,
A "STARFISH" WAS SAVED TODAY
Whiskerville and
Fabian kennels updates
DOGS LEFT
BEHIND
MESSAGES FROM THE
FRONT LINE!
Apply
to foster an animal in need click here
www.bestfriends org
Click to join Katrina-Pet-Rescue-info
Subject: Foster a dog NOW for your
local Humane Society
Since "Katrina Dogs" have been moved to
other HSUS shelters, they will have to make room for them.
Please go to your local shelter today and offer to foster one of their dogs - it
will save a life - and help to make room for these Katrina dogs that are coming
in.
In essence, it is the same as fostering a Katrina dog.
All the shelters are going to feel the Katrina impact, so save a Katrina dog
there in your home town.
The Snowball angle softened the official ''leave all pets behind" evacuation
policy. Displaced people leaving New Orleans have been allowed to travel out
with four-legged companions. Some of the evacuees who landed on Cape Cod arrived
with their critters -- ''including several mutts, a Pomeranian, and a cocker
spaniel," according to the Globe.
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FEMA |
From: "Jodi
Witte"
Date: Thu Oct 20, 2005 7:59 pm
Subject: RE:
[Katrina-Pet-Rescue-info]
BUREAUCRATIC CHANGES MAY PROTECT
ANIMAL VICTIMS OF FUTURE DISASTERS
I need to make one very important
point, that no one really seems to
understand. I have heard all the
blame on this list, and other lists
too, how FEMA has a "no pet" policy.
Let me tell you about FEMA and this
so called "NO PET" policy.
First of all, FEMA teams are NOT
first responders. It is NOT FEMA's
job to go in and evacuate people
before - or after - a disaster
unless asked by the state. It is not
FEMA's job to force people to have a
pet evacuation plan. It is NOT
FEMA's job to take control of a
disaster situation unless asked by
the state. FEMA can only come in at
the request of the state or local
government. Once FEMA is in, FEMA
can ONLY do the tasks requested by
the state or local government. As
one person mentioned here, FEMA
offered security for one of the
animal shelters, but local officials
refused it. FEMA cannot do anything
unless they are asked. Why? Well,
because that is how our government
is set up. The federal government
cannot come and take over control
from a state. The responsibility of
the evacuation and first response
after the disaster lies with the
state, and the state alone. The
decisions on which federal assets
are to be used, and where they will
be used, lie with the state and
local government.
FEMA has response teams called VMAT.
Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams.
When FEMA and other federal entities
finally were able to begin working
on the evacuation after the
disaster, FEMA IMMEDIATELY
dispatched VMAT teams to numerous
locations in Louisiana and
Mississippi. My team was immediately
positioned at the New Orleans
airport. Now, why would anyone put a
veterinary disaster response team at
the airport if you have a "no pet"
policy and will not let people bring
their pets with them? You wouldn't.
Hundreds and hundreds of pets
arrived WITH their owners on buses
and helicopters at the airport. We
worked 24 hours a day providing
round the clock care to each and
every animal that passed through the
airport. These animals were allowed
in cabin on the FEMA commandeered
commercial airplanes and the
military cargo planes that were
moving families to shelters in
Houston and San Antonio.
Now, were there local rescuers, boat
drivers, bus drivers, etc. that were
not allowing people to bring their
pets? Yes, I know of several. But
FEMA was NOT following a "no pet"
policy during Hurricane Katrina.
FEMA brought in veterinary teams
highly trained to care for animals
in disasters, teams they provide
training for and fund, teams that
were paid to work round the clock.
These teams are sponsored by the
American Veterinary Medical
Association and also funded by
grants through the American
Veterinary Medical Foundation.
There were many things that went
wrong with this disaster on all
levels. Of that I am not denying.
How many of us saw the
disorganization just in the animal
response? It was a mess!!!!! Think
about this disaster as a whole, and
see that every organization and
government entity involved was
overwhelmed by the shear enormity of
it all. So many people - so many
animals. And yes, FEMA was
overwhelmed too. Things could have
been done a hell of a lot better.
There is much to be learned from
this disaster by all of us,
including us in FEMA.
FEMA will always regard people first
and pets and other animals will come
second. This will never change. But
FEMA is pet friendly and does
understand how important pets are in
people's lives. I guess the reason
no one knows this is because we
spend our time working and not in
front of news cameras or other ways
to seek publicity. We go in and do a
job. Publicity is no where in our
deployment mission. Therefore, we
usually do our job quietly and
without acknowledgement from the
public. I like it that way normally.
Except when people all over start
untrue rumors that FEMA is not pet
friendly.
I mean, how many of you even knew
VMAT existed? How many of you that
did know, found out about VMAT
during this disaster response? Did
you know VMAT teams have been
responding to disasters since
Hurricane Marilyn in 1995 when my
team went to the US Virgin Islands
to provide veterinary care to the
animals? Or that VMAT teams have
responded to almost all major
disasters including wildfires,
hurricanes, and floods? VMAT teams
have cared for pets and livestock
after Hurricane Floyd in 1999 in
North Carolina, and last year's
outbreak of hurricanes in Florida.
We have responded to the World Trade
Center where I was with my VMAT team
providing care to search and rescue
canines and police dogs in 2001
where coincidentally we also
provided emergency treatment to pets
left behind in nearby buildings
after the towers came down. We
support the Secret Service canines
and Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)
explosive detection canines during
major events such as UN meetings and
G8 Summits. My team supported the
canines during the last Republican
National Convention in NYC. We
responded to an outbreak of Avian
Influenza (the bird flu) in Virginia
in 2002 and had to depopulate over
4.7 million chickens and turkeys
while in full biohazard gear - not a
fun deployment if I may say so. VMAT
teams have even assisted during
plane crashes. We are highly
trained, not just in veterinary
medicine, because it takes more then
that to be a disaster responder. We
train in Incident Command System,
Hazardous Material, Bioterrorism,
Weapons of Mass Destruction, field
medicine and triage, and so much
more.
FEMA's veterinary teams are always
there, somewhere, to help the
animals. You may not see us on TV or
giving interviews but we are there.
But where you may see us when we are
not deployed is giving lectures and
doing training on how to prepare for
disasters when you own pets or
writing disaster preparedness
articles. You will not find a better
advocate for preparation and
planning for your animals then the
members of FEMA's VMAT teams. We are
also working with the AVMA and
helping states set up disaster plans
that include animals. North Carolina
is by and far the most advanced
state when it comes to plans in
place for animals in a disaster.
Why? Well because it was headed up
by the command of VMAT-3. We WANT
people to be prepared. We can't do
it for them.
The only way to make sure that
another situation like Katrina does
not happen is to educate the pet
owner. You can all help! A great
resource is the AVMA's disaster
brochures such as "Saving the Whole
Family" which are available online
at www.avma.org/disaster as a PDF
file for download. When I talk to
kids at schools and scout troops, I
always have plenty to pass around.
FEMA also has some great independent
study courses available online on
animals in disasters. Talk to
people. Make sure they understand
how important it is. THEY are
ultimately responsible for their
animals.
In the end, many people did take
their animals with them both before
and after Hurricane Katrina. Too
many didn't though and it is easy to
lay blame on the federal government.
But truly, the state should have had
plans in place, AND each individual
should have had a plan in place for
their family and their pets. There
is no other excuse. You cannot sit
back and say it always happens to
someone else, it won't happen to me.
How many of YOU out there reading
this have your pets microchipped and
tags on their collars? How many of
you have clean crates standing ready
for each pet in your home? Do you
know where you are going to go if
you have to be evacuated? What if
you didn't have 1 or 2 days to
prepare for the evacuation? What if
a tractor trailer, right now, this
very minute, were to crash on the
road near your home and this truck
was carrying a tanker of hazardous
material that was now in the air and
presented a very serious and even
deadly health risk to anyone
breathing it? Can you pack up your
pets in 5 or 10 minutes flat and get
out? I can. I have all my crates for
my dogs, cats, and birds sitting
there ready. All the paperwork I
need is in one location. I know
exactly where and how I will go.
What if you weren't home when the
truck crashed?
In closing of this very long email
(sorry it got so long) I challenged
each and every one of you right now
-today- to do your part. Start with
your neighborhood. Talk to the pet
owners and educate them. Develop a
support system so that if someone is
not home, or cannot get back to get
their pets, someone else can. Have
them designate a spot where all
their "go" supplies will be for
their pets, where their support
person will know where to find
everything. Once your neighborhood
is ready, expand your efforts to
include your whole town. Train your
friends to train their friends. Keep
it going and pass it forward.
Education and preparation are key.
Do not sit back and expect the
federal or state governments - or
anyone else for that matter - to
come in and rescue your pets if you
can't put forth an effort to make
arrangements for them before the
disaster.
Ok, there, I have said my peace.
Jodi Witte
Veterinary Technician/Logistics
Officer/WMD Specialist
VMAT-1, Veterinary Medical
Assistance Team
FEMA Response Branch
US Department of Homeland Security
AnimalHelp.Com
www.animalhelp.com
jwitte@animalhelp.com
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