After April’s deadly tornado in Faulkner County, an estimated 100-plus dogs, cats and other pets were lost or injured, but no one knew where to go or who to contact for help.
There wasn’t a disaster plan that included small animals, but now there is.
A committee appointed six months ago has created the Faulkner County Animal Emergency Response Plan, a subchapter of the Faulkner County Disaster Plan. The new plan has been approved by Faulkner County Judge Allen Dodson.
Donna Clawson of Conway, who co-chaired the committee, called it a “concise” and “workable” plan.
“I think it could be a model for the whole state,” she said.
The Faulkner County Courts and Public Safety Committee, chaired by Randy Higgins of Greenbrier, sponsored the grassroots committee with the goal of designing an additional animal-welfare plan. Higgins said it was “glaringly obvious” during the April tornado that small animals needed to be included in the county’s disaster plan.
“Yes, the [Faulkner County] plan did address the needs of livestock and those sort of things, and they actually implemented it, but it had no provision for small animals, mainly pets,” Higgins said.
“Nobody in the state of Arkansas has tried to address the small-animal issue. Really, Faulkner County is breaking new ground and may be able to establish a model used by the other 74 counties,” he said.
Clawson, a member of the Friends of the Conway Animal Shelter, said the Faulkner County Plan provides a clear chain of command.
“What this plan will do — this will give us, through proper chain of command, the ability to go in and do something with the small animals: the cats, the dogs, … your boa constrictor and all those pets,” she said. “This plan will put everything in place. [Residents and volunteers] will know who’s in charge, who to talk to.”
The existing Faulkner County Disaster Plan already addressed the needs of livestock, Clawson said, reiterating the functionality of that area of the plan.
“We don’t have to worry about any of the bigger animals, and that’s wonderful.”
Catherine Swift of Clinton, literacy instructor and equestrian coach at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, is coordinator for small animals under the new plan. A longtime animal enthusiast, she co-chaired the committee with Clawson.
Swift said the committee worked with groups such as the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission, which is responsible for the state disaster plan in regard to animals. It primarily addresses livestock, horses, cattle and swine, she said.
Faulkner County extension agent Hank Chaney will be the first call to handle animals, Swift said, and he has the option of calling her to handle the small animals. He coordinated the care of livestock after the April tornado.
Swift said “wonderful rescue organizations” came to Faulkner County to help with dogs and cats after the tornado, and some were turned away because of a lack of organization.
Clawson said it fell to Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office personnel to try to round up and handle the lost and injured animals, and deputies had their hands full dealing with the loss of human lives and the property damage.
Higgins said the Faulkner County Animal Response Team cannot self-mobilize. Depending on the extent of the disaster, part or all of the team will be mobilized.
When a disaster occurs, the Faulkner County judge, who will be Jim Baker in January, will contact Shelia McGhee, director of the Faulkner County Office of Emergency Management. She will contact Chaney, and the chain of command will continue.
“Before any volunteers ever set foot in the disaster — people have to go in and make sure there’s no live wires or anything like that,” Clawson said. “Safety of the volunteers is going to have to be first and foremost.”
During a catastrophic event, volunteers on the disaster team will meet at a designated location, Clawson said. “We can go in and set up our triage. There’s going to be a paper trail. You will know exactly where your pet is,” she said.
Animals will be taken to a “safe location” and photographed, Clawson said, and photos will be posted to Facebook.
From there, the animals that need medical treatment will be transported to a vet, or there will be a vet on-site, she said. Several area veterinarians have volunteered to help, Clawson said. After the April tornado, many veterinarians helped but weren’t able to get reimbursed. The Federal Emergency Management Agency requires a memorandum of understanding before it will provide reimbursements, she said.
Clawson said the team would like to get a mobile trailer to have “a triage on wheels.” A $3,000 grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has been received to buy equipment, such as kennels.
“We are actually part of the county government, although we get no funding,” Swift said.
Clawson and Swift both mentioned the urgent need for a county animal shelter.
“Faulkner County does not have a shelter, so we will have to negotiate, hopefully ahead of time, with some sort of large venue to come in and set up an emergency shelter, if that crisis requires that type of response,” Swift said. “We may handle it with fostering if it’s a small incident.”
A county animal shelter has been discussed for years, and the issue will be brought up again in January by the Faulkner County Quorum Court, Higgins said. A voluntary property tax has been collected to build a shelter — the fund has grown to $845,000 — and Higgins said Quorum Court committees have met to discuss how to sustain a shelter with operating funds. One idea is to change the allocation of a half-cent sales tax, which is divided equally between roads and criminal justice. Another option is to make 1 1/2 to 2 percent across-the-board cuts in the county budget, he said.
Clawson said the new plan to deal with small animals should make a significant difference if there is another disaster in Faulkner County.
“This is a going to be a really, really, good thing. This is like the tip of the iceberg, but as we get going, it’s going to get stronger, and I think we’re going to get some great volunteers,” she said.
Swift said she anticipates that 30 volunteers will be trained over the next few months, beginning with an orientation from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 10 at the Faulkner County Office of Emergency Training Center, 57 Acklin Gap Road in Conway. Individuals may preregister for the session by filling out forms at OEM911.net or can register at the door, Swift said.
The Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission, in coordination with the Arkansas Department of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, developed regional animal-response teams throughout the state. The state has been divided into eight regions, and Faulkner County is one of nine counties in Region 8, which also includes Cleburne, Conway, Perry, Lonoke, Pope, Prairie, Van Buren and White counties.
Faulkner County could be asked to respond regionally, Swift said.
“We would be able to respond to help out in any crisis in those areas,” she said. Therefore, Swift said, she’d like to see volunteers come from all those counties.
Higgins said the new plan to address small animals will coordinate efforts for a smoother response.
“Here’s the takeaway from the April tornado: We didn’t lack the support; we lacked the organization. What we’re doing now is organizing so we can utilize the awesome support that we have in the county,” he said.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.