Veterinary Emergency Team deploys to North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene

Photo: Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife

The Veterinary Emergency Team's mobile unit is shown during a deployment to the Texas panhandle, to provide assistance during a wildfire, in February 2024.

The Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team (VET) deployed a dozen members to North Carolina October 2, 2024, in response to Hurricane Helene, which was the deadliest hurricane in the Tar Heel State’s history, according to a news release. The VET contingent was sent by the Texas Division of Emergency Management at the direction of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in support search and rescue dogs.¹

“Working dogs play a critical role in the aftermath of disasters of this scale,” Deb Zoran, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, VET director, said in the release.¹ “Our job is to make sure these highly trained dogs are in healthy, working condition—even as they search in areas with hazardous debris, rough terrain and flood waters.

The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) has supported the Texas A&M Task Force 1 Urban Search & Rescue (USAR) team since it was formed in 1997, according to the university. Zoran was among the first veterinarians to support the team’s working dogs, making the VET uniquely qualified to provide the care working dogs require.¹

“Working dogs are highly specialized athletes,” Zoran said in the release.¹ “Part of our job as their veterinarians on deployment is to make sure their senses stay sharp, that they are appropriately hydrated, and that they are properly protected from the potential, often hidden dangers associated with doing their jobs.”

The VET is comprised of VMBS faculty, staff, and students, as well as other volunteers. Students who are deployed with the VET receive real-world, hands-on experience in providing emergency care to animals and managing their safety during a crisis event.²

Funded largely by donations, this Texas A&M team is part of the VMBS emergency preparedness rotation that draws students from around the world. The rotation educates students about basic preparedness and threat analysis and includes a visit to a Texas county, where students conduct a risk assessment and collaborate with regional leadership to develop a disaster plan.²

Joining the 12 VET members in North Carolina are the agents from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Disaster Assessment and Recovery. “Disasters are devastating and require response teams to work together to help those in need,” Zoran said in the release.¹

In early 2024, the VET was deployed to the Texas panhandle to assist with veterinary care during the Smokehouse Creek wildfire. There, they provided medical care to species living on farms and ranches.^2.3

“This wildfire was completely different on every level than all of our previous fires. Properties that burned were spread out over these million acres that burned. It was the ranches, it was the hills, the valleys, the canyons, all of these people's properties across that scape up there [in the Texas panhandle],” said Zoran in an interview with dvm360.³

“What we tended to see [as patients], were the animals that had escaped the fire, but maybe were burned and needed burn care…We had horses, we had donkeys, we had a lot of cattle. But we only had a few dogs and cats because the houses [in the area] were spread few and far,” Zoran continued.³

Following the Smokehouse Creek fire deployment, the team announced it had developed new decontamination guidelines to help US disaster management teams better understand the types and qualities of resources needed to clean external contaminants off canines. These new guidelines take an average of 10 to 15 minutes to decontaminate dogs through a streamlined system that involves washing animals while simultaneously draining the tubs.⁴

During deployment in response to Hurricane Helene, the VET is utilizing the most advanced decontamination methods for the health and safety of working dogs. Decontamination, in the field and on at the base of operations, is an important part of keeping both the dogs and their handlers safe while working in areas affected by natural disasters, according to the university. “Flood waters and landslide areas left behind by disasters like Hurricane Helene are exceptionally dangerous to human and animal health,” Zoran said in the release.¹

The response to Hurricane Helene marked VET’s second deployment to the East Coast in response to a hurricane, and the team’s first deployment to North Carolina. The team has also “No matter where a disaster strikes, there are always people and animals in need,” Zoran said in the release.¹ “It’s an honor to be part of the response efforts to help communities in need across the United States.”

References

1. Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team deployed to assist in North Carolina hurricane response. News release. Texas A&M University. October 3, 2024. Accessed October 3, 2024. https://today.tamu.edu/2024/10/03/texas-am-veterinary-emergency-team-deployed-to-north-carolina/
2. Coppock K. Texas A&M veterinary team is helping animals affected by wildfires. dvm360. February 29, 2024. Accessed October 3, 2024. https://www.dvm360.com/view/veterinary-team-deploys-to-help-animals-affected-by-texas-wildfires
3. Coppock K. Reaching patients affected by wildfire. dvm360. April 17, 2024. Accessed October 3, 2024. https://www.dvm360.com/view/reaching-patients-affected-by-wildfire
4. McCafferty C. Emergency teams create new canine decontamination guidelines. dvm360.April 1, 2024. Accessed October 3, 2024. https://www.dvm360.com/view/emergency-teams-creates-new-canine-decontamination-guidelines