News Announcements

Time To Prepare

We encourage you to take precautions to protect yourself, your family, your animals and your property in the event severe weather occurs throughout Louisiana.

Develop or review your personal and family preparedness plan. Include your animals in your plans.
Ensure you have go-kits for your family and animals.
Pay close attention to local emergency management for information and guidance. Sign up for weather alerts.
Remember we are still in the middle of a pandemic make sure to pack extra supplies such as Cloth Face Coverings (for everyone ages 2 and above), soap, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes to disinfect surfaces.

If you have unaddressed animal recovery/ rescue issues, please call your local OEP (Office of Emergency Preparedness) at:

http://gohsep.la.gov/about/parishpa

2021 Hurricane Season

Once again on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana was preparing for the wrath and devastation that Hurricane Ida was sure to deliver our coastal parishes. And true to expectations, Hurricane Ida made history as the 2nd largest and most devastating storm behind Hurricane Laura just one year prior.

Hurricane Ida makes landfall on August 26,

2021. Two days prior to landfall LSART

VMRC is prepping equipment and

volunteers to be on standby for possible

deployment. LSART VMRC had many

roles in this disaster starting with standby

transport of pets for people in Calcasieu

Parish to post event transport for pets with

owners who voluntarily evacuated. Our

unit was activated by the LA Dept of

Agriculture to provide search and rescue

resources, transport resources and

veterinary resources. We depolyed vet

teams to parish pick up points, lilly pads as

well as Orleans Parish Animal Services.

Most of our activities included vaccine and

wellness checks at state run shelters in the

affected areas but also all the way in

Shreveport and Monroe where many were

evacuated to. There was no power, water

or sewage connections so our response

trailers were used as veterinary clinics in

Metairie so that the parish could have

emergency services. Our biggest

challenge besides the ongoing pandemic

was the incredible hurdle of shipping

needed items. The destruction was so

vast and covered multiple neighboring

parishes, most response efforts were

delayed because of transportation issues.

Many necessary items were delayed in

shipping or if we did receive the requested

items, it was difficult to move around the

highways to get them delivered. Finally, on

September 10th LSART VMRC was able

to stand down our response efforts as the

parishes started to return to essential

functions

Louisiana State Animal Response Team