Vol. 5, No.6 , June 2009

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 Contents


Florida Conducts Hurricane Exercise

Imagine a Category 4 hurricane coming ashore near Miami, crossing the state and exiting at Cape Coral, only to regain its strength and crush Pensacola. The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 resulted in 1,184 people dead or missing; storm surges of 8-15 feet; and $100 million in damages.

The program track for the Hurricane Suiter exercise replicated the track of the disastrous 1926 storm that raced across S. Florida, crossed the Gulf and struck Pensacola.

Hurricane Suiter, Florida’s May/June 2009 emergency preparedness/response exercise, used the 1926 hurricane track to evaluate the state’s Catastrophic Plan. Eighty years ago, Florida was less developed and populated. Today’s anticipated consequences would be 670 deaths; 3 million evacuees and 800,000 people in public shelters; 4 million homes damaged; shelter security requiring 50,000 law enforcement officers for just the three east coast counties; and a cost of $161 billion, twice that of Katrina’s $81 billion.

FDACS’ ESF-17 coordinator Joe Kight worked the Hurricane Suiter exercise with David Perry who served as state’s ESF-17 Incident Command Post (ICP) commander and who would, in an actual emergency, establish his ICP in Kissimmee. The SART-related part of this exercise focused on the relatively new requirement to accommodate animal issues – moving, caring for, and feeding – during an emergency, not on agriculture.

“We found that not only will directly impacted areas such as Miami-Dade be terribly disrupted, but when we start evacuating a million people, at a rate of 100,000 per day,” Kight said, “the state and host areas – Duval and Orange Counties, for example – are also going to be very severely impacted … perhaps more that we have formerly envisaged. During the exercise, we were required to think about 5 million displaced survivors, 20 percent with pets needing assistance. That means 300,000 pets!

The Hurricane Suiter exercise tested, on paper, the state's ability to accommodate animal issues. It did not test agricultural subjects such as flooding of Florida's vast areas of vegetable, fruit, and sugar cane.

“The numbers say we need eight animal care staff per 100 animals per 24 hours. You need 1 pound of animal feed and 1 gallon of water per 100 pounds of animal weight per day. Assuming an average weight of 30 pounds, you have almost a million pounds of pets to take care of.

“As part of the exercise, when we asked for volunteers, on paper, we got commitments of 1,250 people from the Florida Veterinary Medical Association, the UF’s VETS Corps, and national volunteer organizations who work with SART. It’s not off the mark to say that such an effort would deplete the state’s resources.”

Kight mentioned that the exercise brought forward a number of unresolved issues such as the availability of animal crates; the movement of people who have animals and those who do not or may, for instance, be allergic to animals (“It’s all very expensive and very difficult to coordinate.”); identification of individual animals and connecting with owners if they get separated; and how long the state must shelter an owner’s animal without proceeding to find a foster home for it.

No final Hurricane Suiter report or evaluation is available, but several web sites have performed interim and background reporting: http://www.northescambia.com and http://maxmayfieldshurricaneblog.wordpress.com.

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Florida SART Advisory Board Minutes

The June 3rd, Florida SART Advisory Board meeting was held by telephone as a tele-conference. Minutes are on line at www.flsart.org/SART/memberdoc/minutes06-03-09.pdf. A few of the issues discussed during the tele-conference were:

  • The Hurricane Suiter exercise May 28-29/June 1-2, which simulated a catastrophic hurricane taking a similar course to that of The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926, across the peninsula from Miami and into the Panhandle near Pensacola.
  • An H1N1 Influenza report from the Department of Health which includes how state officials balance day-to-day operations while accomplishing the additional health mission required by a potentially serious influenza epidemic.
  • The laws about exotic animal permitting as managed or enforced by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. Special emphasis on Class One – potentially dangerous – animals kept as pets.

Note please: The next meeting of the Florida SART Advisory Board is scheduled for September 2nd at 9:00 a.m. in the auditorium of the Florida Farm Bureau, 5700 SW 34th St., Gainesville, FL 32608 (352) 378-1321. No reservations are required.

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UF College of Veterinary Medicine Large Animal Technical Rescue Team Training
By John Haven, Director, UF-CVM

On April 25th, at the beautiful Star 4 Horse Farm in St Augustine, ten members of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine VETS large animal technical rescue team trained with nine members of the St. Johns Urban Search And Rescue Team (USAR), four members of St. Johns County Animal Control and six members of the Clay County Fire Service technical rescue team. A number of people from the horse community came to watch.

Four evolutions were run:

  • A live horse lift with an A-frame,
  • A horse trailer roll-over,
  • A water rescue with a live horse and
  • An extreme mud rescue with a simulated horse. [A horse “dummy” was used because of the stress on a real horse and the real dangers of a mud rescue.]

             

A year ago the UF-CVM VETS team coordinated the TLAER, Inc. technical rescue course for the Jacksonville and St John’s County USAR teams and the equine community. This year UF VETS has acquired the equipment and training to respond to a number of large animal rescue scenarios. VETS team members enhanced their own knowledge by attending formal training such as a Structural Rope Operator Level Course from Wright Rescue and in joint training with surrounding response partners.

Joint training provides USAR teams with the equipment and experience to perform large animal rescue, which they are periodically tasked with, and UF VETS learns from experiences with the USAR teams. By practicing together, in the event UF VETS is called to assist, the USAR teams will be confident in the VETS team’s capability.

            

The UF VETS team conducts at least one training event of varying scale each month. Recently in Pinellas County, the team conducted a full evolution in a canal requiring the lowering and raising of the rescue team and the horse. In March the team trained with the High Springs fire department in a sinkhole rescue. UF VETS has performed several evolutions with Gainesville Fire Rescue and Alachua Fire Rescue. UF VETS will coordinate a 3-day large animal technical rescue training event in June with the national ASPCA technical rescue team.

UF VETS are volunteers from the College of Veterinary Medicine. VETS is a key component of Florida SART with a state-wide response mandate. Equipment has been acquired through grants and individual donations. VETS also has a field hospital much like a veterinary “MASH” and can be self-supporting for a week in a deployment. While the team’s primary mission is within Florida during a disaster, and the greater Gainesville area for a large animal accident, the team recognizes it large equipment cache is hard to replicate, and is available for EMAC. 

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NAIS 'Listening Tour' to Meet in Jasper

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack's National Animal Identification System (NAIS) “Listening Tour” provides opportunities for producers and stakeholders to participate in a live discussion session to help identify problems and solutions. On Saturday, June 27, that tour is planning to stop at the Hamilton County Extension Office in Jasper (1143 NW U.S. Highway 41, Jasper, FL 32052  386-792-1276).

The goal of the sessions is to hear from as many people as possible, and after each session, transcripts are shared with the Secretary (who has attended two of the ten sessions). Attendance has ranged from about 60 to 125 people per location. Once sessions are complete, USDA-APHIS will draft a summary of feedback and input.

Written comments are accepted from anyone unable to attend a session in person. The comments page is at www.usda.gov/nais/feedback and current information about animal identification can be found at http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/animal_id/index.shtml.

Please Note: According to Allen Tyree of the Hamilton County Extension Service the meeting will begin with registration at the Extension Office from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. followed by a half hour of explanation of the current program. From about 9:30 to noon, producers and members of the public will be able to make comments and ask questions. After lunch, attendees will break into small groups for focused discussion and come together once again at about 4:00 p.m. Small group meetings will be held at the Old High School Auditorium, the Extension Conference Room, and the Hamilton County Emergency Management/County Sheriff’s Department Meeting Room. Call (386) 792-1276 or email hamilton@ifas.ufl.edu for more information.  (Tyree notes that the Hamilton County Extension Service “does not support or oppose this proposal. We are just serving as the location for state livestock producers to express their opinions about this matter.”)

Direct links to all of Florida’s 67 County Extension Service offices as well as IFAS Research Centers and Demonstration sites can be found via the Internet at http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/map/index.html.

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Training is Held May 31 at Southeast Guide Dog Facility
Photos courtesy John Haven, Director, College of Veterinary Medicine, UF

“This was a SART training exercise in preparation for the 2009 Hurricane Season, which began June 1,” John Haven writes. “It was held at the Southeast Guide Dog (SEGD) Training Facility in Palmetto, FL. The exercise combined the resources of the Bay Area DART (Disaster Animal Response Team), the UF College of Veterinary Medicine VETS Team, the Vets Corps* and handlers from SEGD.

“About 35 responders from all the agencies involved took part. The rapidly unfolding scenario required teams to unload, and to be set up and ready to receive injured dogs within 90 minutes of the initial briefing. Twenty-five dogs were ‘mocked up’ with various injuries, behavior issues, and even an extremely distraught pet owner trying to locate her dog.

“The exercise reminded everyone in the community that hurricane season is upon us. It allowed the teams to work together and practice for a real deployment, and to test processes and equipment to determine what needs to be done differently in the future. The exercise was a great success, with issues identified by all as part of an after action ‘hot wash.’”

* The VET Corps is the state Reserve Corps for private veterinarians and technicians. It is a joint effort of the Florida Veterinary Medical Association, the UF College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Florida Division of Agriculture and Consumer Services, with local practitioners organized by Dr. Terry Clekis of Braden River Animal Hospital.


Vet Corps & VETS team DVMs discuss tasks
VETS & Vet Corps staff, students and technicians

VETS & VET CORPS Compound prepares to receive animals for medical assessment at SEGD

VET CORPS Compound prepares to receive the first animals for medical assessment

VETS, clinicians and DART Team members perform medical assessments

Patient check-in at Bay Area DART intake
VETS tent manned by DART volunteers

Dr. Hasse provides medical assessment oversight for VETS and Vet Corps members

The Bio-Isolation facility for the exercise uses a VETS tent

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Openings in Agroterrorism Courses

A few courses remain in the agroterrorism series offered by FDACS’ Office of Agricultural Emergency Preparedness and taught by instructors from Western Institute of Food Safety and Security (WIFSS). Courses are Free.

  • AWR-152 Preparedness:  Principles of Preparedness for Agroterrorism and Food Systems' Disasters
    • Thursday, July 9 in Gainesville, Florida, AWR 152 Principles of Preparedness for Agroterrorism and Food Systems’ Disasters, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM at the USDA Farm Service Agency, 4401 NW 25th Place, Suite M, Gainesville, FL  32606
    • Tuesday, September 15 in Orlando, FL, AWR 152 Principles of Preparedness for Agroterrorism and Food Systems’ Disasters, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Central Operations Center, Mel Martinez Auditorium, 2500 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL  32804
    • Wednesday, September 16 in Miami, FL, 152 Principles of Preparedness for Agroterrorism and Food Systems’ Disasters, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM at the FDLE Miami (MROC), in the FDLE Building, Emergency Operations Center, 1030 NW 111th Ave, Miami, FL  33172
  • AWR-153 Detection:  Principles of Detection and Diagnosis:  Strategies and Technologies
    • Tuesday, July 7 in Tallahassee, FL, 153 Principles of Detection and Diagnosis: Strategies and Technologies, 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Betty Easley Conference Center, Southwood State Campus, 4075 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee, FL  32399
    • Wednesday, July 8 in Jacksonville, FL, 153 Principles of Detection and Diagnosis: Strategies and Technologies, 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Jacksonville FDLE Regional Operations Center (JROC), 921 N Davis Street, Building E, Jacksonville, FL  32209

For information, check with the office of Art Johnstone at the Office of Agricultural Emergency Preparedness (850) 410-6758 johnsta@doacs.state.fl.us

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Wishful Thinking? Signs of the Times?

We noticed an interesting juxtaposition of two billboards during the March SART Conference in Cocoa Beach. The boards, along a busy highway and viewed through a screen of utility and telephone wires, were surrounded by lush planted greenery.

The billboard at top advertised the state lottery while the lower billboard advertised the state’s critical water shortage. (At the moment, we may wish for a bit less rain, but only for the moment…) Both billboards urged viewers to take action: one to spend, the other to save.

Billboards cost $, charging according to traffic. On a busy street, the cost is thousands of dollars a month. Are they effective? Are they relevant in extraordinary times such as ours? Thoughtfully curious….

The Editor



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SART Partner Highlight Florida Wildlife Rehabilitator's Association

The Florida Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (FWRA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the unification, education and dissemination of information to all wildlife rehabilitators in Florida. FWRA describes its purposes as:

  1. To provide an organizational structure within which various individuals and organizations involved in the rehabilitation of injured, orphaned and displaced wildlife may exchange information.
  2. To provide training and assistance to individuals and organizations involved in the rehabilitation of injured, orphaned and displaced wildlife.
  3. To increase public awareness through educational means of and support for the activities of wildlife rehabilitators.
  4. To engage in such other activities as are permitted by Florida Law.

According to the FWRA’s web site (www.fwra.org), the organization was founded in 1988:
“…by a group of wildlife rehabilitators who saw the need to network with others in the field. The vast majority of rehabilitators are one-person operations with little or no contact with others sharing the same interests.
“The organization currently provides network and educational opportunities for the betterment of wildlife care. The annual FWRA Symposium offers basic and advanced training courses as well as varied speakers on topics, such as care of specific species, laws and regulations, organization management, wildlife restraint, care and feeding, songbird nutrition, reptile handling, feeding and care, seabird husbandry & medication, etc.
“We can also offer fund raising education for nonprofit groups and finding ideas for individual rehabbers. Plus specialty programs for those interested. One example would be oil spill.”

The 2009 FWRA Symposium dates are confirmed for September 24th - 27th at the Florida FFA Leadership Training Center in Haines City (www.flaltc.org). The program is now being confirmed and will be posted on the FWRA web site shortly.

Deb Anderson, DVM and member of SART, who is with the Brevard Zoo (danderson@brevardzoo.org 321-254-9453 Ext. 250) is the current FWRA president. Florida Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, PO Box 1449, Anna Maria, FL 34216.

 

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USDA-FSA County Committee Nominations Are Open

Farmer and rancher candidate nominations are now being accepted for local Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committees. The nomination period continues through August 3rd.  Elections take place this fall.

County committees make decisions on disaster and conservation programs, emergency programs, commodity price support loan programs, and other agricultural issues.  Members serve 3-year terms. Nationwide, there are more than 7,800 agricultural producers serving on FSA county committees.  Committees consist of 3-5 members who are elected by local producers.

To be eligible to serve on an FSA county committee, a person must participate or cooperate in a program administered by FSA, be eligible to vote in a county committee election, and reside in the local administrative area in which the person is a candidate.

The form and other information about county committee elections are online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=newsroom&subject=landing&topic=cce. For questions, contact the FSA’s Mark Cotrell at (352) 379-4562 or mark.cottrell@fl.usda.gov. Find FSA news releases on the agency's Web site at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov.

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About the SART Sentinel

Editor: Rick Sapp, PhD, Technical Writer, Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Division of Animal Industry [rsa5@cox.net]

Associate Editor: Joe Kight, State ESF-17 Coordinator, Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Division of Animal Industry [kightj@doacs.state.fl.us]

The SART SENTINEL is an E-mail newsletter prepared monthly by Rick Sapp and the members of the Florida State Agricultural Response Team. Past issues of the Sentinel are archived on the Florida SART Web Site, www.flsart.org.

If you have a story or photo that you would like to have considered for publication in The SART SENTINEL, please contact the Editors.


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