The Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team (VET) is back at the Bryan-College Station, Tex. after a 15-day deployment in North Carolina, responding to search and recovery dogs working amidst Hurricane Helene.
Deployed on Oct. 2 by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) under the direction of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, the VET joined a network of North Carolina first responders, national disaster teams, and volunteers from across the country to aid those affected by the storm.
“Working canines and their handlers play a critical role in helping families find closure after disasters of this magnitude. It was an honor for us to be there to support their work and help the communities begin the long journey to recovery and renewal,” says Deb Zoran, DVM, DACVIM, VET director, in a release.
During their deployment, VET members and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Disaster Assessment and Recovery (DAR) agents provided critical veterinary care to search and recovery dogs. The VET set up a base in Cherokee during the first week of deployment, sending a team to an operating team in Asheville to support Buncombe County. “The search teams were working in very difficult and challenging environments, including miles of tree and destroyed-structure debris fields that have devastated many parts of the beautiful western North Carolina region,” says Dr. Zoran. As the deployment expanded, they relocated to Burnsville and set up a base at a local high school to serve search teams in the remote areas of Yancy, Mitchell, and Madison counties.
At the height of the deployment, the team reported doing daily check-ups for up to 25 working dogs, addressing injuries, assessing health, and decontaminating them from hazardous substances. Additionally, they partnered with Jen Jeske, DVM, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Urban Search and Rescue Incident Support Team veterinarian, who treated dogs in the eastern part of the region.
“Daily veterinary care was crucial for keeping the dogs healthy and working amidst very difficult conditions,” says Zoran. “The VET, working with Dr. Jeske, ensured that their physical tiredness and soreness from the long, challenging workdays, as well as their bumps, abrasions, and cuts, were all appropriately treated so a small issue did not become something bigger. The end-of-day checks allowed us to make sure the dogs were well and provided a crucial opportunity to find unexpected issues that could be managed so that they were able to continue their mission.”
For more information, visit the Texas A&M Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) website.