Red Star Animal Emergency Services™

American Humane Attends Groundbreaking Disaster-Planning Meeting

photo credit NOAA

History was made the week of July 20, 2009, when the members of the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC) formally sat down with representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Alliance of State Animal and Agricultural Emergency Programs (NASAAEP), the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and other non-governmental partners to plan for the upcoming 2009 hurricane season.

The U.S. begins to see increased hurricane activity in June. This meeting outlined a proposed plan to incorporate the NARSC members into high-level emergency operations activities to coordinate animal disaster response in the case of a large scale disaster event. This integration represents an increased level of awareness and of capacity for important animal disaster response coordination during federally declared disasters.

The meeting was the result of nearly four years of work by the NARSC in planning with federal, state and non-governmental partners to increase animal disaster preparedness and response capabilities in the U.S. The members of the NARSC are:

• American Humane;
• The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA);
• Best Friends;
• Code Three Associates;
• International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW);
• The National Animal Control Association (NACA);
• The Society of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA); and
• United Animal Nations.

Debrah Schnackenberg, vice president of the Animal Protection Division at American Humane, currently chairs the NARSC.