Helping Animals In Disasters
BARRE, Vt. (WCAX) – As people displaced by flooding work to figure out what’s next in terms of finding new housing or rebuilding, volunteers at the Barre Ice Rink are taking care of their beloved pets, making sure their furry friends are ready to rejoin their families when their owners are ready.
“I ain’t going anywhere without those guys. I’ve had Sammy for eight years and he’s my pride and joy, and like I said, Catalina is only 11 weeks,” said Kimberly Carminati of Montpelier.
Carminati was told it will be between two weeks and two months before she can go home. She is staying at the Barre shelter with her cats Sammy and Catalina in the ice rink next door.
“They take care of Sammy and they feed him and do everything, and it’s awesome. I praise them very much because if they weren’t here, I’d be screwed. I’d have to leave my cats back at my place,” Carminati said.
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New Technology Used to Help Manage CVDART Emergency Pet Shelter
Flooding in Vermont on July 10, 2023 required the Central Vermont Disaster Animal Response Team (CVDART) to open an Emergency Pet Shelter. Over 55 pets have been cared for by CVDART volunteers since opening the Shelter in Barre. CVDART has been using the beta version of DART Command Central’s Shelter Module software to document the care they are providing to the pets. This data management software helps volunteers efficiently manage the feeding, exercising, and medication administered to pets to ensure their health and safety.
“VDART is using the DARTCC Shelter Module for the first time in a real-life disaster situation and it hasn’t disappointed. It’s allowed our volunteers to efficiently gather information and monitor the care of the animals in our charge, and provided owners with a full accounting of the care their pets have received in the emergency pet shelter,” said VDART Board Chair, Joanne Bourbeau.
DARTCC Shelter Module is still in development as it requires reporting functionality and other essential features before its official launch. DARTCC is pleased that it has been an asset to CVDART volunteers during the current disaster. We look forward to improving and finalizing the Shelter Module mobile application with additional funding. We anticipate a Fall 2023 national launch of our free web-based software for use by other disaster teams.
Deb Shelby, Executive Director
512.765.5406
deb@dartcc.org
dartcc.org
VDART has been quite busy since we last communicate as Spring stubbornly refuses to arrive in our state! Nor’easters, power outages and road closures have all had a hand in disrupting Vermonters lives and routines these past few months, and in response regional VDART teams have been activated twice since December to provide pet-sheltering services to our partners with the American Red Cross.
Our Central Vermont DART deployed its team on Christmas eve to provide supportive pet services to an emergency shelter in Barre. Team members quickly mobilized to move their response trailer to the site and set up several cages for potential animal residents. Although our services weren’t ultimately used, pet families had the peace of mind knowing that they had somewhere to go with their animals if needed.
In mid-March our Windham DART was deployed to a shelter at the Brattleboro Union High School after a Nor’easter dropped more than 3 feet of snow, creating extensive power outages. Similarly, the team brought supplies to the shelter and was on standby when our first (and only) overnight guest arrived—with her dog! “This is what our teams train for year-round,” said VDART board chair Joanne Bourbeau. “I’m thankful for our skilled and dedicated volunteers who were able to help their communities with this critical need.”
UVDART hosted an online presentation by Dr. Renee Poirrier. Many VDART members joined via Zoom. Dr. Renee Poirrier is a veterinarian and owner of Acadiana Veterinary Clinic in Alexandria, LA.
Dr. Renee Poirrier is a veterinarian and owner of Acadiana Veterinary Clinic in Alexandria, LA. She practices both traditional veterinary medicine, as well as holistic medicine, veterinary acupuncture, and water therapy. She graduated from Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1988, and has spanned a career as a veterinarian across three states. A lifelong animal owner and advocate, Dr. Renee puts into practice the belief that healing pets is a collaboration between veterinary practice and pets’ owners.
Throughout Dr. Renee’s career, she has been grateful for the opportunity to practice veterinary medicine, and she has always shared her skills in charitable work. After traveling overseas for veterinary mission and disaster relief work, Dr. Renee focused her efforts on disaster relief work closer to home. In 2003, she began volunteering with the Louisiana State Animal Response Team. In 2004, she became the director of the Louisiana State Animal Response Team; and she has coordinated many pet shelters and animal response efforts. Dr. Renee’s work made a difference during several hurricanes including Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Laura, Delta, and Ida; as well as in the wildlife response to the BP oil spill and the Haitian earthquake.
Each year, Dr. Renee volunteers to teach workshops and trainings on pet evacuation and sheltering, with animal responders as her audience. She wants to ensure that people will be able to evacuate with their pets during disasters. Dr Renee’s work was recognized in 2019 when she was honored to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for long term commitment and excellence in Emergency Preparedness from the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association (LEPA).
In 2011 she was named Outstanding Woman Veterinarian of the Year by the Association for Women Veterinarians Foundation. Dr Renee was also named the 2008 Louisiana Veterinarian of the Year. In 2006 she received the Everett Besch Distinguished Service Award for her community service work from the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association.
Dr. Renee has also come full circle in her educational career, as she serves as an adjunct assistant professor at Louisiana State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Renee is part of a team of instructors, teaching the next generation of veterinary students about animal emergency response.
VDART and DART Command Central teamed up to speak and table at the annual Vermont Emergency Management Agency conference held in Killington in September. It was a wonderful opportunity to speak to local and state emergency managers and our partners in first response across the state on VDART’s mission and capabilities, along with the new app being developed by DART CC to streamline sheltering protocols and data management.
Our virtual presentation, Using technology to improve emergency pet sheltering during disasters, can be viewed on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Saturday, October 15th – 8:45 am – 3 pm – East Barre Fire Department
CVDART hosted a mock drill designed for both new and seasoned members of VDART. This drill satisfies the requirement of attending an Emergency Animal Sheltering (EAS) workshop.
Sunday, October 30th – 10 am – 3 pm – Training Matters, West Brattleboro
WinDART is organizing this free workshop (which is a pre-requisite for VDART volunteer responders) for new and interested members. Among the topics we’ll cover are small animal behavior and handling (dogs and cats) and our emergency shelter set-up protocols. The training will culminate with a mock shelter set-up exercise that will allow us to practice these skills in a real-life setting, using the app being developed by DART Command Central.
The latest winter issue of 4 Legs and a Tail highlights who UVDART is and what they do to help pets during a disaster. Read the whole story on page 10 here
During a disaster, Bourbeau, who is the board chair of the nonprofit Vermont Disaster Animal Response Team (VDART) as well as the Northeast Regional Director for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), works behind the scenes to coordinate a response to keep animals out of harm’s way. That means when incidents ranging from widespread floods to traffic accidents overwhelm local resources, they procure and set up temporary animal shelters, transport pets to safety and provide for their needs — such as food, water, shelter and veterinary care — until they can be reunited with their families.
“WE NEVER WANT PEOPLE IN A SITUATION WHERE THEY HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THEIR ANIMALS AND AN EVACUATION.”
Download the PDF State Farm Fall/Winter Good Neighbor (pages 5-6)
This library is meant to be a resource for you to pursue training in the area of your interests. There are numerous websites with thousands of training videos, so the VDART’s Training and Development Committee selected a few that would be pertinent to our emergency sheltering work. Jump in and have fun!
Free Red Cross classes for non-Red Cross volunteers. One particular class that will assist VDART members is: “Psychological First Aid”. Here’s the link to register: http://bit.ly/ext_register
https://www.aspcaonline.org/#/catalog/77bf1b6d-aabc-470a-b983-7859c229eeb8
https://www.aspcapro.org/training-online-courses/online-courses-aspca-learning-lab
https://www.aspcapro.org/resource-library
Help Animals in Crisis this Giving Tuesday
The Vermont Disaster Animal Response Team (VDART) was formed in 2007 to improve the state’s response to natural and man-made disasters impacting animals. Since then, hurricanes and tropical storms like Irene in 2011, and most recently Henri in 2021, have directly threatened Vermont, and demonstrated the importance of planning for pets in order to keep ALL members of the family safe. The human/animal bond is never stronger than it is during times of crisis, and VDART volunteers stand ready to assist their communities with animal needs that might arise in the face of life-threatening emergencies.
The covid-19 pandemic has also significantly challenged food-insecure pet families in Vermont, and VDART has been on the front lines of this fight, providing pet food directly to local food pantries across the state for the past 20 months.
VDART receives no federal or state funding to serve this important role as a safety net to pets and pet owners in Vermont, and relies solely on grants and YOUR generous donations to keep our equipment operational and our teams trained and ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. VDART now boasts five regional teams covering the Northeast Kingdom, Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties, Central Vermont, the Upper Valley, and Windham County. And we work cooperatively with independent DARTs in Franklin County and Rutland County.
This Giving Tuesday, you can help us make a real difference for animals (and the people who love them) in YOUR community, by making a donation to VDART’s Anne Ackley Memorial Animal Support Fund. Click donate to make your donation today!
Thank you for your support!
Joanne Bourbeau, VDART Board Chair
The Vermont Disaster Animal Response Team (VDART) was established in 2007 in order to strengthen and support the state’s capacity to respond to animal needs in the event of a disaster. We provide vital resources and advice to pet owners, animal-related businesses and non-profits, local communities, and state agencies in this area. Read More