"Hurricanes: A Practical Guide"
Michael Swindle, DVM, Professor and Chairman
Comparative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SCKathy Laber, DVM, MS, Associate Professor
Director, VA Animal Facility, Charleston, SC
Contents: Hurricane Classification - Preparation - Staff - Animal Care - Physical Plant
Hurricanes, although having the likely potential of creating tremendous havoc in animal resource programs, have the unique characteristic of being predictable. Being able to predict a disaster, both in terms of timing and severity, provides facility managers the rare opportunity of being able to actually prepare for responding to the disaster. The experiences of animal care programs with hurricanes [Hugo(1989), Andrew (1992}] have been previously published (Swindle et.al, Lab Animal 22(7): 25-31, 1993). Advance warning does, however, have its disadvantages as personnel operating a program in an active hurricane zone will likely go through the disaster drill several times in response to storm warnings that never reach fruition. This can result in individuals developing a cavalier attitude about storm warnings as well as in others, intensifying the angst of anticipating a disaster.
This document provides a practical approach to dealing with hurricanes by animal facility personnel. Unfortunately, disasters do not follow standard operating procedures. During any emergency, the outcome will be dictated by the ability of the leadership on site to think tactically, and make sound decisions often in the face of minimal to no information.
Storm Surge
(feet above normal)
The category of the hurricanes in the chart above is a general guide. Actual storm conditions and destruction depends upon the topography, tide levels at the time the storm makes landfall, the storm diameter and rate of forward momentum, number of secondary tornadoes, building construction, population density, amount of rainfall and other such factors. Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew were both Category 4 storms that made landfall almost directly on locales with lab animal facilities and caused immense damage. Hurricane Floyd which was a Category 3 storm that essentially caused no physical plant damage because Charleston was on the southern end of the storm. Most of the damage from that storm was related to high rainfall and flooding.
Hurricane Preparation
Web sites for NOAA (http://www.noaa.gov/) as well as local web sites like television stations will provide advanced warning and preparation information. Generally, you have approximately three days advance warning about the location most likely to be landfall for an incoming storm. During this time frame, the storm may increase/decrease in intensity and/or change direction. At this time mark, preparation for the storm should be initiated with education provided to all parties involved that the storm may still switch course, or get downgraded to a tropical storm. The news media typically creates an atmosphere of alarm that reverberates throughout the animal care staff, and it is important to counter-balance that atmosphere with a cool, calm, pragmatic approach in preparing for the storm’s impact.
Staff
Prior to hurricane season, a roster of both technical and husbandry staff, assigned to man the ‘storm event’ should be established. In addition, the director of the animal care program or a like designee capable of assuming responsibility for the overall program should be present. The assignments should be fairly distributed and rotated. We assign staff by the month. Individuals on the rooster are responsible for being on-site during the storm. Although little can be done during the actual storm event, the on-site personnel are relied upon to cover veterinary and husbandry needs during the immediate storm aftermath as other staff members will have evacuated and will likely have difficulty transporting back into the storm ravaged area. In practice, having volunteers come forward to storm-sit is preferable to using the staff roster. Although being technically fair, individual’s personal circumstances can preclude their ability to be on-site during the storm (i.e. single parents). The number of persons present during the storm should be minimized and the others evacuated with instructions to return to the facility as soon as possible.
All personnel should provide phone numbers of where they can be reached prior to and after the storm (i.e. will they be evacuating to relatives homes, hotels etc.). Communication by cell phone may be more reliable than land lines due to the increased volume of calls and the damage the various communication systems sustain. Power outages will most likely prevent e-mail communication.
Time will need to be given to allow the staff who are manning the facility to prepare their own homes and facilitate the evacuation of family members and pets prior to the storm. Employers typically have limited accommodations on-site for pets and family members. Personnel who will be staying through the storm should anticipate being on duty for a prolonged time after the storm as roads surrounding the facility may be closed. In the case of Hurricane Hugo, personnel were on duty for as long as 100 hours before being relieved. Also they should realize that communication with off-site family members might be difficult to impossible during this time period.
On duty personnel should have the following items made available to them: cellular phone, pager, sleeping bags, flashlights, extra batteries, battery powered radios, hygienic supplies, clothes, water, non perishable food, first aid kit, prescription medicines, critical personal documents, cash. An optional item which we’ve found to improve storm-sitters emotional well being has been a television with video playing capabilities and a supply of good movies. A protracted quiescent period occurs after the storm preparation flurry, prior to the storm making landfall. Mental distraction helps to abate anxiety.
A team spirit should be fostered such that individuals who have evacuated are motivated to return to their jobs as soon as possible. The staff that is on the front lines following the storm needs to be relieved. Coordination of staff members who are able to relieve their colleagues is an important role that leadership plays in the aftermath. Personnel who return to the facility after the storm may well need to bring in supplies from neighboring communities that support facility repair and operations.
Animal Care
Inventory should be taken prior to the storm to ensure that adequate food; water, husbandry and veterinary supplies are in house. For storm preparedness, we keep a minimum of a seven-day supply of necessary items. Supplies need to be placed directly into the facility location where they will be needed. Elevators may not work and back up generators usually do not provide power to all of the electrical systems in the building, therefore transporting supplies and being able to visualize cages in the rooms can be difficult. All animals should be provided with clean cages, and extra food, water (we put extra water bottles on all cages) and bedding prior to the storm. This supports the fact that there will be minimal staff executing minimal husbandry procedures for some time after the storm. The capacity for passive ventilation should be confirmed for all ventilated racks realizing that the emergency power systems supporting their operation could fail. In the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo, we discovered that the animals would not drink the city tap water as it had become contaminated with pine resin from trees that fell into reservoirs. In light of this, we now fill carboys with hypercholinated water prior to the storm. Distilled or millipore filtered water located in research laboratories may also need to be accessed.
In our experience, the buildings were never damaged severely enough to physically impact on animal caging systems or cause harm to the animals. The institution, must, however be prepared for the reality that this could occur. Due to compromised caging systems, animals could escape into the facility or even the surrounding community. The institution must have a cooperative plan in place with both investigators and city officials that addresses this event. Euthanasia of large numbers of animals may need to be performed for both humane and safety reasons. Identifying and locating animals engaged in projects involving hazards (biological, chemical, radiological) before and after the storm is critical. Whenever feasible, hazards in animals should be eliminated prior to the storm event. The potential for zoonotic disease transmission exists, especially if nonhuman primates escape into the community. The action plan needs to also address public education and the options for animal capture and containment. Misinformation concerning the danger of escaped animals to the general public after Hurricane Andrew created a hostile climate in Miami. A press release should be prepared in advance for release if any animals escape or get killed during the storm. This type of information should simplistically explain to the public the care that is given to the animals during and after the storm as well as the impact of animal escapees, if any, on the public.
As soon as possible after the storm, normal husbandry routines should be achieved. Realize that this may be extremely difficult to execute given the likelihood of extreme personnel shortages. One must then prioritize those animals that require intense husbandry (large animals) versus those who can deal with less (single caged rodents).
Physical Plant
The impact that a storm has on the physical plant is highly variable. Facilities in storm-ridden areas should be appropriately constructed with an adequate number of back-up generators. Having these systems in place does not, however, necessarily avert disaster. In our experience, back up generators were destroyed during the storm and the entire HVAC system was lifted off a building. Computer files should be backed up and all records and data placed in a safe and secure location. Doors and windows should be fully secured and loose materials that can become airborne should be removed from animal rooms. Whenever possible, animals should be moved away from windows or outside walls. In addition to the previously mentioned impact on water quality, water-pumping systems can fail. Waste disposal may become difficult if not impossible to execute. A supply of trash bags, and large trash containers with tightly sealed lids is helpful.
Assessing the extent of the physical plant damage following the storm can be difficult. Physical plant support personnel can be overwhelmed and may not be able to provide accurate information about the length of time needed to repair structure and operating systems. The administration needs to have clearly defined priorities for repair and those priorities need to be conveyed to both animal resource and physical plant personnel. It is extremely helpful to have information about length of time for repairs when attempting to make sound management decisions i.e., should the animals be evacuated from the building, or ancillary equipment purchased which will hold temperatures during the winter months
During the Hurricane
The most important thing during the actual event is to maintain personnel safety, then animal safety. On site staff should be in a secure location and be instructed not to take actions until the storm has passed. Lines of communication need to be established with administrative officials to provide staff needed information about the storm status and its impact on the facility. Communication from radio and television stations cannot be relied upon as we lost all, including the emergency broadcast network, for several days following Hurricane Hugo.
Aftermath
The aftermath of the storm can have effects upon the animal care program for months to years. Leadership will need to deal with the acute and chronic recovery phases. Acutely, potable water and electricity may not be available for a prolonged time. Roads and airports will be closed. Cash may become problematic as ATM machines are dysfunctional and electronic systems are needed to process credit cards. A six-week time period elapsed before the Charleston community returned to having fully functioning electrical systems, city water and passable roads. Facility repairs can take years to complete as they are laborious to execute and funding can be difficult to achieve.In the aftermath, personnel are dealing with significant personal difficulties. They may have lost their homes, cars or other meaningful possessions. Managing the complexities of insurance claims and home repairs is extremely fatiguing and time consuming. Childcare arrangements may become nonexistent. Work shifts down on the priority list as individual survival concerns increase. Anticipate an increase in both absenteeism and resignations. Personnel may come to work, but will be distracted and exhibit lower productivity. Personnel in significant numbers may develop symptoms of post-traumatic distress syndrome. Strong leadership, compassion and a team spirit are critical during the aftermath
Reporting the extent of the impact of the storm on the NIH-supported animals to the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) as soon as possible is a legal requirement ( Alderson, Garnett: Disaster Recovery: "Who ya’ gonna call" Lab Animal Vol 31: 8 pg 27-31.), as is a report to the USDA for covered species. In addition, these offices may be able to provide help both in terms of resources and contacts.
During the recovery period, there will likely be a dramatic decrease in animal numbers apart from the numbers potentially lost as a direct result of the storm. This is caused by difficulties in receiving animals due to transportation limitations and a decrease in investigator productivity as they battle personal issues and the impact of the storm on their laboratory operations.
Hurricane Hugo resulted in the loss of 1/3 of our gross revenues for the fiscal year The loss of significant revenues without warning impacts on the fiscal well being of any program. Negotiations with administration for relief may need to occur. It is important to also recognize that the health status of the animal population may have been impacted on by storm. HVAC system failures, compromised cage wash capabilities, and minimized husbandry standards are all variables that can cause disease breaks. When able, the health status of the animals should be reestablished.
In summary, the best advice for surviving the impact of a devastating hurricane is to have strong leadership and a dedicated staff. Recognize and be sympathetic to the personal trauma experienced by colleagues and maintain the perspective that in time, recovery will be complete and the operations of the animal resource program will return to normal.
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