A local public health model: Veterinary emergency response plan

Created after lessons learned from the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, The Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act of 2006 requires the inclusion of pets in all levels of disaster planning. Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services (HCPHES), the health department for Harris County, Texas, played a critical role when evacuees from Katrina arrived in Houston. HCPHES applied its first-hand experience from Katrina towards developing a model for effective veterinary emergency response operations.

HCPHES is an active member of the Harris County Disaster Animal Management Task Force. The Task Force focuses on county-wide animal issues and consists of veterinary, agricultural, public health and emergency management agencies on the state and local level. As a leader of the Task Force, HCPHES addressed the PETS Act of 2006 by developing a model veterinary emergency response plan to accommodate and manage pets and service animals arriving with evacuees.

The development of this plan enabled HCPHES to identify its responsibilities as well as resource gaps to address moving forward. The plan can also serve as a template for other Task Force agencies to assist them in constructing their own plans documenting their agency’s responsibilities. Through the development of internal agency plans, the Task Force will be better able to identify resource gaps and collaborate to address these needs.

The development of internal agency plans should enhance the Task Force’s overall capability to work together to ensure effective evacuation and care for pets and service animals during an emergency in the Houston/ Harris County area.