Disaster Animal Sheltering in Alabama

The Homeland Security/Emergency Preparedness Section of the Alabama Department of Agriculture has been working round the clock to bring Alabama to the head of the pack when it comes to Disaster Preparedness.  Disaster Animal Sheltering is definitely a hot topic in the Emergency Preparedness world.

We currently have 2 State Disaster Animal Shelters that will be activated 72 hours prior to hurricane landfall.   The primary shelter is in Montgomery, at the State Fairgrounds.  An alternative is the Houston County Farm Center in Dothan, AL.  These shelters are available to house both owned animals as well as rescued/un-owned animals.   Approximately 3500 companion animals and 1500 large animals can be housed between these two locations.

As with any program, the more resources we can get to the local level the better.  The Alabama VMA, in coordination with the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, AL-VMF, Alabama Department of Agriculture and the AL Dept of Public Health have been developing a mass care and sheltering program that will put much needed resources in local communities.  We have purchased 2 Companion Animal Mobile Equipment Trailers (CAMET) that can augment existing human sheltering capabilities.  These CAMET trailers are pre-equipped with supplies and equipment to set up a shelter and house at least 50 animals and can be deployed in a school hallway, civic center, or any existing building.