Disaster relief management of companion animals affected by the floods of Hurricane Floyd.

O n September 16, 1999, Hurricane Floyd caused widespread flooding through a largely rural area of North Carolina. More than 40 of 100 counties experienced some flooding (Fig 1); the most severe was in the eastern third of the state. Interstate highways and divided 4-lane US highways, as well as hundreds of state highways and local roads, were closed at multiple sites because of flooding or washed-out bridges, hampering transportation of supplies and animals. The affected area included a portion of the state that had many large poultry and pork production farms, cattle, horses, dogs, cats, indigenous wildlife, and smaller populations of other species such as pet birds, ferrets, and exotic wildlife. Calls for evacuation, both mandatory and voluntary, were ignored by many persons in the area because hurricane and flood warnings had been issued in the past but substantial damage did not occur, or because the media reported major problems associated with the evacuation. Evacuation from all areas expected to be affected by the hurricane would have required driving to Tennessee (> 500 miles from some parts of the state), because the storm was moving in a northerly direction. Because North Carolina does not presently have means of providing pet-friendly evacuation shelters or pet evacuation shelters located near human evacuation shelters, some persons unprepared or unable to evacuate pets declared that they would not leave their pets alone and without care. As a result, a large number of people and their animals were either trapped within flooded areas or by surrounding flooded access roads. For the most part, county emergency management resources were quickly overwhelmed. An additional 7 inches of rain that fell 11 days after the hurricane exacerbated flooding and dam failures throughout the region, adding to the need for additional rescue and evacuation of animals. The purpose of this report was to describe disaster relief management performed by the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) for approximately 375 dogs, 75 cats, and 17 animals of other species affected by flooding. Logistics Facilities—A warehouse (area, 149 m 2) for surplus materials of the CVM was used as the primary facility for a field hospital. The building was furnished with 84 canine research cages in 42 racks, 4 examination tables, and multiple shelving units. The warehouse included a 4.2 X 4.2-m room that was used for cats, small dogs, and critically affected animals. This room held …