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Annexes

• Support provided to local Emergency Management Directors
• County Planning workshops and tabletop exercise
• Current focus: Animals-in-Disaster annex to Local Emergency Operations Plan

State and Localities are required to plan for handling animals during a disaster under the Pet Evacuation Transportation Standards Act.

The most effective and efficient way to minimize health and safety risks for humans and animals is for individuals and responding agencies to be properly prepared to address animal issues well in advance of a disaster.

UGA staff have helped design an Animal Disaster Plan (ADP) template for local governments in Georgia. It serves as a companion annex to ESF 11 of the Local Emergency Operations Plan in accordance with regulatory guidance from the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA).

Participating communities authenticate the ADP by conducting a Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) Workshop and Tabletop Exercise involving key Stakeholders in the community.  Supported and conducted by the UGA’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Science and the Fanning Institute, participants receive hands on support that builds community support for animal disaster planning.

Past disasters have shown the following:

• Up to 25% of pet owners will fail to evacuate because of their animals; this represents 5-10% of the total population directed to evacuate.
• 30-50% of pet owners will leave pets behind, even with advance notice of evacuation.
• Approximately 50-70% of people leaving animals behind will attempt to reenter a secure site to rescue their animals; this represents 5-15% of the total population directed to evacuate.

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[ This page was last updated on Monday, July 25, 2005. ]