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COUNTIES SERVED:
Who Are We?
What Disasters?
What Animals?
Why Plan for Animals?
It's the LAW!
Founding Members
Affiliations
Click the dog tag or use the "Website Navigation" button above
More Info below too!
The Tri-State County Animal Response Team (Tri-State CART) is a 501(c)3 non-profit, volunteer group formed in May of 2006.
Our volunteer members are local concerned and trained citizens who want to make sure that in the event of a declared disaster or state of emergency, there is preparation, planning and manpower in place for the welfare of all animals affected by the disaster. We are recognized as the official disaster response team for animals in southwest Ohio (Region 6) by the Ohio Department of Homeland Security and the Ohio Veterinary Emergency Responders (OVER.) OVER is the response team at the state level in Ohio and reports to the Department of Agriculture.
We are also recognized as the official disaster response team for animals in Northern Kentucky (Region 7) by the Kentucky Emergency Managment Directors and is a part of Kentucky Volunteer Organizations Assisting in Disaster (VOAD).
We have made great progress since we started, though a lot of it is "behind the scenes." Take a look at our "2007 Year in Review" (found on the Website Navigation page) for a better understanding of how much has been accomplished. Some of the county teams have been formed and we are continuing to expand the leadership, membership and resources in the counties we cover. All county team members are also members of "Tri-State CART" which covers the whole area shown on the map above. These volunteers, in association with local officials and other animal resources, will provide for the evacuation and temporary care of animals during a local declared disaster.
Possible disasters that could affect this area include, but are not limited to:
Severe winter storms- Most local counties have had federally declared disasters within the past 25 years because of these types of storms and the problems they cause. Heavy snow can prevent you from moving to a safer, warmer location that has power. Heavy snow can last for days.
Ice- This can break power lines causing entire cities to be without electricity, make travel to a safer, warmer location impossible and impede or prohibit the response of emergency crews. If you are not prepared to shelter in place without power for several days, this could be a dangerous or deadly situation. Safe, non-electric sources of heat are essential.
Extended Power Outages- Especially if temperatures are very high or very low. With everyone using more and more power, these could become more common. This could also affect just one community that includes an animal shelter, farms and homes with pets if something like an auto accident, ice storm or transformer explosion involves a major power supply. Power outage is often a component of other disasters.
Tornadoes- Even urban areas are not immune. Tornadoes and severe straight line winds have effected many areas in tri-state counties.
Floods - The Ohio river and the smaller rivers around this area have crested their banks many times. In smaller scale emergencies, the back-up of a sewer system into a facility or home could cause an evacuation or bio-hazardous situation.
No water- If a main water supply line breaks or is disrupted, will you be able to care for yourself and your animals until water is restored and deemed safe? If pipes freeze, and weather conditions prevent travel, do you have stored water?
Fires- This could be a wild fire, barn fire or a house/apartment fire. Are you prepared to evacuate your home in a matter of minutes?
Chemical spills- Could be from a rail car, tractor trailer or chemical plant. On a small scale, it could be pesticides or some other chemical that is knocked over or dropped and spilled/combined causing a small but immediate evacuation need. If you are within 5 miles of a through road, rail line or business that uses chemicals, you could be effected.
Explosions- From chemicals, fuels or other volatile substances. This could be stationary locations like businesses or home meth labs or a moving source such as trucks, rail cars or aircraft.
Disease outbreak- If many people are getting sick and going to the hospital, who will care for their pets and livestock? Orders to stay home may be issued by the government and enforced by law enforcement to prevent the spread of disease. It could take months or longer for a disease to run it's course. Even if you could go out, all the businesses would be closed. If it's an animal to animal disease, people will need help caring for their pets or livestock or a quarantine may need to be enforced. If many animals are dying, carcass disposal and prevention of bio-hazards from decomposition can be a big issue.
Civil Unrest- Cincinnati has had riots in the past and could have them again. The scale would be determined by the cause of the upset.
Terrorist acts- No one knows what tomorrow may bring. The U.S. has already been attacked and it could happen again effecting health, utilities, transportation, etc.
Loss of employees or help- If disease, quarantines or injury affects the people that help you with your farm, stable, kennel, shelter, etc., will you still be able to function and care for the animals that rely on you?
For more info on national disasters between 1980 - 2005: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/reports/billionz.html#narrative includes economic impacts and the impact on human lives.
American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) tracks consumer trends when it comes to pets. The 2007/2008 National Pet Owners Survey done by the APPMA found that pet ownership remains on the rise in the US. While dogs, cats, and fish remain the most popular, reptiles and other small pets are becoming more popular too. Number of U.S. Households that Own a Pet Bird 6.4 Million Dog 44.8 Million Equine 4.3 Million Freshwater Fish 14.2 Million Saltwater Fish .8 Million Small Animal 6.0 Million Total Number of Pets Owned in the Bird 16 Million Cat 88.3 Million Dog 74.8 Million Freshwater Fish 142.0 Million Reptile 13.4 Million Small Animal 24.3 Million
Breakdown of pet ownership in the U.S. according to the 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey
Cat 38.4 Million
Reptile 4.8 Million
That is 63% of U.S. Households (71.1 million homes) have a pet!
Equine 13.8 Million
Saltwater Fish 9.6 Million
Source: AAPMA
That's over 380 Million Pets! And the numbers continue to rise. That doesn't even include stray animals, horses, farm animals or exotics/wildlife kept as pets or as a means of income.
Tri-State CART, when activated during a disaster, will take in and offer temporary shelter for any kind of animal. If we do not have experience in handling a certain type of animal, we will use our rescources to find someone who does.
Second Chance Wildlife will rescue and care for any native wild animals that are effected during a disaster or emergency. This includes animals that normally survive without human intervention like deer, raccoons, possum, coyotes, foxes, squirrels, bears, wolves, etc.
We have people lined up to call and consult when there are encounters with exotic animals. Ohio is second in the nation for private ownership of exotic animals. This includes the large exotics like tigers, lions, alligators, etc. as well as ostrich, emu, bison, venomous snakes, and more. So the chances of exotic animals being involved in local disasters are high. Texas is the only state with a higher number of privately owned exotic animals.
According to a Zogby Poll, 49 percent of pet owners would NOT evacuate if they could not take their pets. Pets are family for many people. Livestock may be a sole source of income and an asset a farmer cannot afford to replace. People do not want to leave these animals behind to an unknown fate. This puts human lives at risk, both the owners and the rescuers trying to get them out (or keep them out) of a dangerous area.
By having a plan in place for evacuation of animals along with their owners, it helps everyone get to safety with the least amount of trauma and resistance. It also reduces the number of animals wandering loose after a disaster that may be sick, injured, diseased or frightened (and thus more likely to bite or kick.) Providing for the rescue of animals also reduces the number of animals that die and create additional health hazards and disposal responsibilities.
Human lives ALWAYS come first, but by planning for the evacuation and care of animals, more human lives can be saved and/or kept out of danger.
Even the government is recognizing the need to plan for the animals to expedite the evacuation of the humans. The PETS (Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act) has been signed by President Bush and is now a law. It is a federal mandate that state and local preparedness offices take into account pet owners, household pets and service animals when drawing up evacuation and emergency preparedness plans. Offices that fail to do so will not qualify for grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Tri-State CART teams would play a major role (along with shelters, rescues and national response teams) in the activation of a local plan that includes all animals.
The founding members of Tri-State CART are:
Chris Puls, President of Tri-State CART
Evelyn Black, Vice-President of Tri-State
Bonnie Morrison, Executive Director and Treasurer
These women took an idea and ran with it. They have been active in getting more volunteers and more leaders for their own counties as well as other tri-state counties. They have made it their mission to have a CART team that is trained and equipped to respond when needed to rescue and care for any affected animals in every tri-state county. See our 2007 progress report to see just how far we have come in a very short time! The team is now equipped, trained and ready to respond!
Our CART teams are being recognized by more and more groups and organizations every day. Currently, the Clermont CART Team is established as a support agency for the Clermont County CERT (Community Emergency Response Team). Clermont County CART is also working closely with Clermont County Humane Society. Butler CART Team is creating partnerships with their local CERT. Dearborn CART is working closely with PAWS of Dearborn County and the Animal Control Board. All teams work closely with and get approval from the county Emergency Manager.
Tri-state CART is recognized in Ohio as the response agency to call for animal disasters in southwest Ohio by the Department of Homeland Security and the state response team- OVER (Ohio Veterinary Emergency Responders) which we would support if they need additional volunteers in our area. The Tri-State CART Secretary/Treasurer is the Ohio state representative for United Animal Nation's Emergency Animal Response Service (EARS.) This is a national disaster response group for animals. The CART President is an instructor and volunteer with American Humane Association. We are working on developing additional state level contacts in Indiana and Kentucky.
Click on the following logos to visit the web sites of other organizations that do disaster response on a national level and offer training for anyone interested in doing disaster animal response work. Our Team Captains and some of the team members have gone through the training courses offered by one or more of these organizations. Visit the links page to find many other helpful organizations. Tri-State CART often hosts these training sessions. Visit the website navigation page of this website to see if there is a seminar coming up in the tri-state area.
National response groups for animals with which we have signed agreements for help and equipment if needed:
http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pa_disaster_relief
http://code3associates.org/index.php
We are in the process of getting an agreement with:
http://www.petsmartcharities.org/donate/emergency-relief.php
Other disaster response related organizations that support and utilize our team's services:
http://homelandsecurity.ohio.gov/hls.asp
(We cover region 6)
Ohio Veterinary Emergency Responders
(This group activates us in Ohio for Region 6)
http://www.cincinnatiredcross.org/ (Has an excellent Pet First Aid Course)
Indiana Dept. of Homeland Security has several emergency responder courses and an Animals in Disasters course https://oas.in.gov/hs/training/public/calendar.do
We are a resource of the Clermont County Citizen Corps which has been very welcoming and helpful to us! http://clermontcitizencorps.org/
visitors since 1-17-08
Tri-State County Animal Response Team
P.O. Box 158, Harrison Ohio, 45030
