First responders are giving the phrase “no one gets left behind” a new meaning this hurricane season. Now, not only are they being trained to save man, but also to save man’s best friend.
On Sunday, disaster response experts, who led animal rescue efforts following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, returned to Louisiana to begin training state emergency responders to rescue animals in future disasters.
These experts included representatives from the American Humane Association, ASPCA, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine and similar organizations. The first phase of training took place outside Cabela’s in Gonzales.
The rescue training boot camp is hosted by the Louisiana State Animal Response Team and the National Alliance of State Animal and Agricultural Emergency Programs. It is part of a continued Katrina relief plan and will last until Saturday, the 10-year anniversary of the storm.
During training, responders learn water rescue, fire rescue, pet first-aid, large animal rescue, animal sheltering and decontamination of animals, among other skills.
Today, responders will assess small animals and learn first-aid. Wednesday, training will take place on campus at the SVM and focus on large animals. The remaining sessions will cover topics like pet sheltering and animal decontamination, and a celebratory gala will be held in closure.
ASPCA senior director of disaster response for field investigations and response teams Dick Green is one of the individuals teaching the week’s courses.
Green is responsible for managing natural and man-made disasters, as well as large and small animal rescue operations. Before joining ASPCA, Green was employed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare and was a first responder in Hurricane Katrina.
According to a School of Veterinary Medicine news release, training like this is critical this time of year because a recent national ASPCA poll revealed many pet owners are still ill-prepared for a Katrina-sized disaster. The poll suggests more than one-third of cat and dog owners lack disaster preparedness plans for their pets.
During Hurricane Katrina, 44 percent of people refused to evacuate because they could not take their animals with them, according to the poll. Because of this, approximately 250,000 domestic animals either died or were displaced in the 2005 storm.
Psychology sophomore Mallorie Galjour experienced animal displacement first hand. It is the reason she now has a small Chihuahua-pinscher mix, Tootsie, who was found on the Northshore after Hurricane Katrina.
“I don’t think organizations do enough in times of disaster to save animals’ lives,” Galjour said. “During Katrina, the coast guard and neighbors rescued the majority of pets.”
Though Galjour calls Tootsie the “perfect gift,” she wishes programs like animal disaster training were pushed more so pets could be rescued, evaluated and reunited with their owners.
“It’s an issue every day, but it should be pushed more when natural disasters occur,” she said.
LSU associate professor of veterinary medicine Rebecca McConnico said Louisiana needs improved rescue operations, especially because the state is prone to natural disasters. Because of this need, the boot camp has been held since 2006.
“This is a part of our life,” McConnico said. “It’s also part of our fulfilling the PETS Act of 2006, which requires parishes to have a plan for animals ever since Katrina.”
McConnico said this year’s training attendance is nearly twice the standard.
The sessions are normally designed for 25 local and state attendees, some of which are typically enrolled in the LSU veterinary medicine program. However, since 2015 is the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, session sizes have grown to accommodate 40 people.
“This year, it’s more special,” McConnico said. “It’s a culmination of 10 years of our work, and now we’ve got national-level folks involved.”

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Javier Fernández

08/24/2015 Vet School