State & Local Planning
The plans below are an integral part of the overall state emergency management planning structure which is coordinated by the Governor's Division of Emergency Management (GDEM). The state emergency management plan and its associated functional annexes as well as models for local emergency plans and their respective annexes can be found on the Governor's Division of Emergency Management (GDEM) web site.
- USDA/APHIS Summary of the National Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Response Plan (Aug. 2006)
- This federal plan works in conjunction with the State of Texas Foreign and Emerging Animal Diseases (FEAD) Response Plan (see link below). It will be used to provide more specific operational guidance for how the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's Veterinary Services (USDA-APHIS-VS) would oeprate in response to a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) disease outbreak in Texas.
- USDA/APHIS Highly Contagious Disease Plan (Sept. 2005)
- This plan, produced by the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's Veterinary Services (USDA-APHIS-VS), provides recommended National Animal Health Emergency Management System (NAHEMS) guidelines to control and eradicate highly contagious animal diseases. A series of companion documents address, in more detail, specific operational considerations when dealing with a disease outbreak such as disposal, quarantine and movement control, cleaning and disinfection, and euthanasia. The procedures outlined in this document would be used in conjunction with the "State of Texas Foreign and Emerging Animal Diseases (FEAD) Response Plan" (see link below).
- State of Texas Foreign and Emerging Animal Diseases (FEAD) Response Plan
(Submitted to GDEM for final approval) - The purpose of this plan is to provide guidance for mitigating against, preparing for, identifying and responding to, and recovering from any highly contagious animal disease affecting Texas livestock and wildlife.
- Hurricane Evacuation And Mass Care Plan - Attachment 6 "Animal Care"
- Attachment 6 to the "State of Texas Hurricane Evacuation and Mass Care Plan" outlines the responsibilities of the State and local jurisdictions in regard to the evacuation and shelter of companion animals (i.e., pets). The entire plan and other hurricane evacuation and sheltering information can be found at the Governor's Division of Emergency Management (GDEM) web site.
- Animal Issues Committee Guidance Document (May 2009)
- This document provides general guidance to local communities in creating their animal issues committees (AICs) and then moving forward in developing their community animal response plans (CARPs). It provides a framework to bring together participants of an AIC and lays out next steps in the process toward writing the CARP and its associated best practices or standard operational plans (SOPs). The guidance document should be used in concert with Appendix 4 to Annex N of the local emergency management plan (see below).
- Guide to Developing a Community Animal Response Plan By Function
- Once a community has identified its vulnerabilities, responsibilities and resources in regard to animal issues and has developed an AIC Plan (Annex N Appendix 4), it needs to take the next step in addressing animal issues and begin to develop a Community Animal Response Plan (CARP). A CARP details the actions taken to utilize the resources compiled in the AIC plan to respond to animal issues during a disaster. When a community begins development of its CARP, it may be helpful if issues are addressed by being divided into functions or tasks that may need to be performed during a disaster, such as the sheltering, evacuation or carcass disposal of animals. Currently, the Texas Animal Health Commission, in conjunction with members of the Texas State Animal Resource Team (TXSART), has begun to develop guides to assist communities in planning for animals in a disaster according to these different functions. The following are the guides available by function and will be updated regularly.
- Shelter Function (Mar. 2009)
Evacuation Function (Aug. 2009) - State of Texas Animal Issues Committee Plan
- This plan provides a model for local governments to create an appendix to their local Annex N (Direction and Control) for development of an animal issues committee (AIC) to deal with particular animal issues in their community. The plan outlines (1) the various types of individuals that might be on an AIC as well as (2) the various topics related to animals that could be of interest to that community. For instance, an AIC near the Coast might consider the "evacuation and care" of companion animals prior to and during a hurricane as their issue of choice; an AIC in Central Texas might consider "animal rescue and identification" from river flooding as their major issue; and an AIC in the Panhandle might consider "carcass disposal" related to an animal disease as their most important issue.
Also available in Rich Text Format on the Governor's Division of Emergency Management (GDEM) web site.