|
The Mid-Ohio Valley Animal Emergency
Preparedness Committee was formed as a result of federal
legislation requiring an animal component to all emergency plans.
It is made up of veterinarians, public health officials, boarding
kennel owners, humane society representatives, WV Department of
Agriculture representatives, county emergency planners, and the
American Red Cross. If you should be interested in serving on this
committee, you are most welcome.
One goal of the committee was to write an annex
to the emergency plans currently in place in the counties of
Calhoun, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt, and Wood. Much has been
done, and the draft plan is
available here for your information. We continue to develop
the resource lists (as they may be different in each county) and
welcome any assistance or input you may have.
Another goal is to begin a public awareness
campaign regarding the need for families to include their pets or
large animals in
family emergency plans. Activities toward this goal included a
booth at the air show held at the Mid Ohio Valley Regional Airport
in September 2006, as well as subsequent displays at various
health fairs, county fairs, and other community events in order to
disseminate information to the public.
Future plans involve the development of an
animal first aid course that would be offered free to the
public. Curriculum for this class has not yet been developed and
we would welcome any input you may have.
In working with the West Virginia State
Department of Agriculture we are in process of assisting in the
recruitment of individuals interested in participating on the West
Virginia State Animal Response Team (SART). SART is a state/local
animal response team created through a private-public partnership
to serve as a unifying network of organizations, businesses,
federal, and state government agencies to support prevention,
preparedness, response, and recovery for emergencies involving
animals. An application for membership in SART is
here.
Go
here
for information about the Mid-Ohio Valley Large Animal Rescue
Team.
If you have any questions, comments, concerns,
or are interested in joining us please contact Michelle Rudd,
Humane Society of Parkersburg at (304) 422-5541; Leslie Elliott,
DVM, Mineral Wells Veterinary Clinic at (304) 489-2799; or
Kristine Green at the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department at (304)
420-1481.
Last updated
Wednesday January 11, 2012 03:08 PM |
