Louisiana State Animal Response Team

Street
Lafayette, LA 70506

(337)981-8387

www.lsart.org

Time To Prepare 

We encourage you to take precautions to protect yourself, your family, your animals and your property in the event severe weather occurs throughout Louisiana.

  • Develop or review your personal and family preparedness plan. Include your animals in your plans. 
  • Ensure you have go-kits for your family and animals.
  • Pay close attention to local emergency management for information and guidance. Sign up for weather alerts.
  • Remember we are still in the middle of a pandemic make sure to pack extra supplies such as Cloth Face Coverings (for everyone ages 2 and above), soap, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes to disinfect surfaces.

If you have unaddressed animal recovery/ rescue issues, please call your local OEP (Office of Emergency Preparedness) at:

http://gohsep.la.gov/about/parishpa

2021 Hurricane Season

Once again on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana was preparing for the wrath and devastation that Hurricane Ida was sure to deliver our coastal parishes. And true to expectations, Hurricane Ida made history as the 2nd largest and most devastating storm behind Hurricane Laura just one year prior.   

Hurricane Ida makes landfall on August 26,
2021. Two days prior to landfall LSART
VMRC is prepping equipment and
volunteers to be on standby for possible
deployment. LSART VMRC had many
roles in this disaster starting with standby
transport of pets for people in Calcasieu
Parish to post event transport for pets with
owners who voluntarily evacuated. Our
unit was activated by the LA Dept of
Agriculture to provide search and rescue
resources, transport resources and
veterinary resources. We depolyed vet
teams to parish pick up points, lilly pads as
well as Orleans Parish Animal Services.
Most of our activities included vaccine and
wellness checks at state run shelters in the
affected areas but also all the way in
Shreveport and Monroe where many were
evacuated to. There was no power, water
or sewage connections so our response
trailers were used as veterinary clinics in
Metairie so that the parish could have
emergency services. Our biggest
challenge besides the ongoing pandemic
was the incredible hurdle of shipping
needed items. The destruction was so
vast and covered multiple neighboring
parishes, most response efforts were
delayed because of transportation issues.
Many necessary items were delayed in
shipping or if we did receive the requested
items, it was difficult to move around the
highways to get them delivered. Finally, on
September 10th LSART VMRC was able
to stand down our response efforts as the
parishes started to return to essential
functions