Press Release 10/06/2006
Contact: Public Affairs (404) 656-3689
“Animals in Disaster” Training to be Held at FVSU
Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin announces an “Animals in Disaster” training seminar to be held Friday, October 13, at Fort Valley State University (FVSU).
The seminar is to help train animal control personnel and volunteers who will work with “pet-friendly” shelters in the event of a hurricane or other emergency. It will also set criteria for volunteers.
“We led the way by creating pet-friendly shelters several years ago,” said Commissioner Irvin. “We knew people would refuse to evacuate if they could not take their pets with them. Katrina proved that to the rest of the country. That is why Congress recently passed a bill requiring states to include animals in their disaster planning. I am proud that Georgia is leading the way. We had already included the animals in our plan. This training will help Georgia stay ahead of the curve.”
Topics to be discussed include how to set up and run a shelter, volunteer management, as well as how to care for animals in an emergency situation.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with lectures scheduled until 3:45 p.m. at the O'Neal Veterinary Science Building.
For more information contact: George McCommon, DVM, at FVSU at 478-825-6424.
The event is conducted in partnership between the Georgia Department of Agriculture, Georgia Office of Homeland Security - Georgia Emergency Management Agency, and Fort Valley State University.
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