Florida Animal Disaster Plan: Phase Three

Phase Three

This period covers the hurricane's actual occurrence and up to 96 hours after the disaster strikes. The facilities for the relief effort should be organized during the first 96 hours as follows:

At least two large facilities as well as other alternate sites should be already secured as animal holding areas. Alternate sites should have also been selected. These areas should be known to the local and state veterinarians.
At least two areas frequented by the local animal owners such as tack shops, feed stores, and local show grounds would serve as a central meeting area for the transfer of information and supplies.
One or two areas would hold animals which do not require hospitalization but require care their owners are unable to administer. These holding areas would also be used to temporarily house animals when the owner is not able to secure them or for loose populations of animals which also need to be secured until their owners are identified or until they can be relocated to a foster care facility.

This document is Fact Sheet DH 32, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida< Gainesville, FL 32611. Publication date: June 1993.