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Lending a helping hand: a look back at Ike

published: October 17th 2008
by: Aaron Burbach
source: Texas A&M University

Lending a Helping Hand: A Look Back at Ike
By Aaron Burbach
4th year Veterinary Student
Texas A&M University
    As Hurricane Ike moved across the Gulf of Mexico, all Texans had concerns about the safety of their families and friends.  Ranchers along the Gulf Coast were also concerned about the well being of their livestock interests.  As evacuations began to take place, many producers faced the tough decision of what to do with their livestock as they moved inland to escape Ike.  Many chose to move their animals to the highest ground possible and hope for the best, while other livestock owners who could do so, moved their animals further inland as well.  They transported their horses, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs to one of several large animal shelter facilities set up across central Texas.
      Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences was heavily involved in the organization and maintenance of the large animal shelter at the Brazos County Expo Center in Bryan, Texas.  Along with various Brazos County officials, the staff of the Expo Center and numerous volunteers, the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Department of Animal Science helped to create a facility and system that could house evacuated animals safely and efficiently.
    The Show Pavilion at the Expo Center was set up with rows of 10’x10’ portable stalls to house incoming animals.  The facility was designed to house horses, cattle that could be haltered and tied, as well as sheep, goats and pigs.  As the owners arrived with their animals, they were greeted by a volunteer staff of veterinarians and fourth year veterinary medical students from the Texas A&M Large Animal Teaching Hospital . 
    Once all of the necessary information was obtained on the owner and animals, the fourth year students completed a standard physical exam of all animals to ensure no veterinary care was needed and that the animals posed no risk to other animals in the facility.  At this point each animal was assigned a number for identification purposes and this number was paint branded onto the animals left hip.  Each identification number was assigned to a numbered stall and attached to an owner identification number.  Animals were assigned to a stall area based on species, level of disease risk, and other special considerations. 
    Level of disease risk was divided into a low and high-risk categories.  Animals were considered low risk if they were normal on physical exam and accompanied by current health papers or a negative Coggins test.  Due to the emergency situation, Texas Animal Health Commission waived the Coggins requirement for horses being transported.  To ensure the best biosecurity practices, a negative Coggins was used as criteria to determine the risk level.  Any animal that had an abnormality on physical exam or lacked a negative Coggins was placed as a high risk animal.  Low risk and high-risk animals were stalled at different ends of the barn for the best possible biosecurity given the situation at hand.
    Once the animals were placed in their stalls, owners were responsible for feeding, watering and cleaning of the stalls.  In the case of an emergency with an animal, the owner could be easily identified and contacted due to the computerized record keeping that was implemented.  The facility was in operation until the last animal was taken back home or relocated by the owner.
    In all, the large animal shelter at the Brazos County Expo Center accommodated 176 horses, four pigs and two Longhorns.  The ability to house all of the animals and help the many livestock owners in need was made possible by the hard work of the many volunteers that organized and maintained the shelter facility.  Equally important was the protocol that was implemented to accommodate the animals in a safe and efficient manner.  The protocol focused on health risk assessment, animal identification, good record keeping and biosecurity.
    Livestock producers can utilize similar logic to their livestock operations to ensure the health and productive efficiency of their herds.  Focusing on these areas within a herd can only help to increase the productivity and profitability of the operation.  This benefits the producer and helps to ensure the livestock industry is equipped to deal with future adverse events.  Though hurricane Ike caused a substantial amount of damage and destruction to the gulf coast region of Texas and Louisiana, the numbers of livestock injured or killed as a result of this storm were reduced by the support and planning of Texans in areas less severely affected but still concerned and eager to lend a hand.  The lessons learned by many in this type of disaster can remind us all of the importance of herd health, emergency planning and biosecurity.
    The thoughts and prayers of Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine are with all those affected by Hurricane Ike and with all involved in getting the Gulf Coast back on its feet.