Avagene Moore: Welcome to the EIIP Virtual Forum! Amy Sebring, my partner/associate, and I are delighted to see you in our audience today. Avagene Moore: Today's topic is "Humane Society of the United States - Disaster Services Program," a topic that has drawn more and more attention with each disaster in recent years. Avagene Moore: For the benefit of newcomers today, we will begin the session with a formal presentation followed by an opportunity for your questions. Avagene Moore: We will provide further instructions on the protocol for asking questions or commenting just before we begin the Q&A section. Avagene Moore: As our speaker presents her formal remarks ... Avagene Moore: please jot down your questions or comments as we go along so you won't forget. Bob Kunselman: should we dial in on an 800# as well Avagene Moore: Please do not send private messages to our speaker or the moderator ... Avagene Moore: as we will be busy with the presentation. If you need assistance, you may send a private message to Amy Sebring. Avagene Moore: The transcript of today's session will be available late this afternoon -- just check back on our home page. Avagene Moore: Now, it is my pleasure to introduce our guest speaker for this session. Avagene Moore: As Director of Disaster Services at The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Anne Culver is in charge of emergency response during disasters as well as for developing The HSUS's nationwide disaster preparedness, training, and response programs. Avagene Moore: This includes developing, training, and leading volunteer and staff response teams; promoting and advising emergency managers at all levels of government in the inclusion of disaster planning for animals in disaster plans; ... Avagene Moore: and developing partnerships with private and public organizations for preparedness and response. Avagene Moore: Most recently, Anne was the Incident Commander for the HSUS response to the 2003 wildfires in San Bernardino County CA, which included 25 members of the HSUS National Disaster Animal Response Team (DART) performing rescues behind the fire lines, emergency sheltering of evacuated animals, and care for injured animals. Avagene Moore: If you have not read the bio on the background page and checked out the links given, please do so after today's session. Avagene Moore: Welcome, Anne! We appreciate you being here and look forward to your presentation. Anne, I now turn the floor over to you, please. Anne Culver - HSUS: Hello, I am very pleased to be part of the EIIP Virtual Forum today, because more than ever the issue of animals in disaster is touching a wide variety of professions and public is clamoring for more information. Anne Culver - HSUS: Concerns range from Where can I evacuate with my pets? to How vulnerable is our agriculture to terrorist attack? Anne Culver - HSUS: By now many emergency managers know that people often stay behind or go into dangerous situations because the love of their animals leads them to believe they have no other option. Anne Culver - HSUS: This puts not only the person and their animals at risk; it also leaves first responders and specialized rescue teams with some difficult choices about what type of assistance they can provide. Anne Culver - HSUS: We have emergency managers from around the country at every level -- and in the public and private sector -- asking us for information on these issues. Anne Culver - HSUS: This is very gratifying we used to bang on their doors saying please pay attention to this issue! Now, because of events all around the country, everyone seems to be willing to learn from past mistakes. Anne Culver - HSUS: Now, since the terrorist attacks in this country in 2001, the general public has been awakened to the need for preparedness. Anne Culver - HSUS: Couple that with current concerns about bioterrorism, protecting the nation s agriculture, and recent outbreaks of animal disease in this country, and you have a public concern and a public need for reliable information about the implications for animals of all kinds. Anne Culver - HSUS: Interest is thus running very high for the HSUS s biennial National Conference on Animals in Disaster, taking place in Philadelphia, PA, from May 12 to 15, 2004. Anne Culver - HSUS: Topics run from rescue, safe evacuations, and creative options for emergency sheltering of animals; to state-level planning for disasters, animal disease, and bioterrorism. Anne Culver - HSUS: Participation is broad, and professionals from some fields will be meeting those from other fields for the first time. The result is a greater understanding of the issues that affect animals and people, the community and the nation. Anne Culver - HSUS: After looking at our conference program, Avagene pointed out a couple of issues that will be covered there, that may be new or of particular interest to this audience. Anne Culver - HSUS: The first area is animal disease how to track it why track it how does it affect our agriculture and our food supply and yes what implications are there for our own animals. Anne Culver - HSUS: We know of course, that there has been a lot of concern lately about animal disease as well as problems in handling of animals and food in processing. Issues like mad cow disease and avian influenza are in the news today & Anne Culver - HSUS: And though it was only a couple of years ago, a foot and mouth disease outbreak in the United Kingdom and several other countries created what can only be called disaster conditions for thousands of people. Anne Culver - HSUS: The public can be very reactive to news of unsafe food. Of course we come into this picture because, well, we are also consumers, but also because most people agree that the humane way of raising animals for food creates a safer food product. Some facilities are literally disasters waiting to happen, either in terms of animal disease and food safety, or in terms of environmental dangers. Anne Culver - HSUS: We in the animal protection community are working with USDA and with the state governments to help define the role of specific responders in disasters affecting animals. Anne Culver - HSUS: Second is the issue of standards for animal disaster response resources how they are set and what implications these standards might have in facilitating mutual aid and EMAC Emergency Management Assistance Compact for search and rescue, evacuation, transport, first aid and triage, and sheltering for animals. Anne Culver - HSUS: Resource typing is the categorization and description of resources that are commonly exchanged in disasters, usually through Mutual Aid Agreements. Anne Culver - HSUS: Many disaster resources are being typed by functional groups in various disciplines. Resources should be organized into groupings of similar resources (kinds) and typed according to minimum standards to be easy to understand, clear for ordering and rapid to mobilize. Anne Culver - HSUS: The Resource Typing project, subject of a recent EIIP Forum, described the general process. Various organizations have been selected to lead parts of the typing and The HSUS has been asked to identify a group of specialists to type the non medical aspects of animals and disasters, in support of FEMA and USDA/APHIS. Anne Culver - HSUS: Resources to be typed include Animal Rescue Teams and equipment (that includes search also) and Emergency Sheltering Teams and equipment. Anne Culver - HSUS: Once typed, these standards will be used by state and local emergency managers and Departments of Agriculture to request or to evaluate animal disaster teams who offer their services. Anne Culver - HSUS: As we all know, in order to be most effective, disaster teams must be organized and included in the local or state disaster plan - before the disaster. Anne Culver - HSUS: Mutual Aid Agreements that include the terms and conditions for emergency response teams make the response more rapid and efficient. Anne Culver - HSUS: Both the resource typing definitions and the glossary of terms and the definitions are living documents and will continuously be updated and should compliment one another. Check this out at http://www.fema.gov/preparedness/mutual_aid.shtm. Anne Culver - HSUS: This subject will be discussed at the NCAD session, Standards for Mutual Aid in Animal Disaster Response, with Gil Jamieson, FEMA, Buddy Bell, NDMS/FEMA, and Rodney Taylor, Chair, Metro Wash Council of Governments (COG) Animal Services committee Anne Culver - HSUS: In this context, let me give a little bit of information about the HSUS program and the standards of training and response that we subscribe to at HSUS. Anne Culver - HSUS: HSUS Disaster Services has experienced disaster response teams and planners at headquarters and at ten strategically located Regional Offices. Anne Culver - HSUS: HSUS work on animal disaster plans with emergency management agencies, animal care & control officers, and rescue professionals to develop local capabilities. Anne Culver - HSUS: We are the only animal protection organization that s a member of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) and many state VOADs to promote disaster education, to participate in planning, and to coordinate response operations. Anne Culver - HSUS: In the response phase, The HSUS is respectful of local leadership and mobilizes national resources to support, not replace, local response capability. We will cooperate with any organization that uses the Incident Command (or Management) System, works within the system and within their training, and behaves themselves. Anne Culver - HSUS: The HSUS National Disaster Assistance Response Team (National DART) is our premier volunteer corps, deployable nationwide by our HQ, consisting of about 30-40 members with technical rescue and professional animal- handling skills and experience. Each member is capable of managing rescue and sheltering elements in a disaster, as well as of managing other volunteers. Anne Culver - HSUS: HSUS Regional Offices maintain a roster of Regional DART volunteers as well as of locally organized DART teams that we can deploy in other areas. Anne Culver - HSUS: The HSUS produces and sponsors extensive training for disaster responders and community leaders in disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery, in addition to our biennial conference. Anne Culver - HSUS: Response training for HSUS volunteers and the public includes the entry-level Disaster Animal Response Team (DART) training, Emergency Animal Sheltering, Incident Command System, handling animals under stress (theirs and yours), volunteer and donation management, and dealing with the media, as well as technical rescue courses such as large animal rescue, swift water, rope, and ice rescue, and wildfire behavior. Anne Culver - HSUS: We are always developing our training program to meet needs. As an example, one of our workshops at the NCAD 2004 in Philly is on how to include animal issues in your CERT training, with speakers who have organized this in their own areas. Anne Culver - HSUS: Also, we are just starting to develop training in animal handling and animal rescue for human rescue specialists, to allow people to merge all this technical rescue expertise with the ability to handle animals safely. Anne Culver - HSUS: The HSUS staff and the HSUS National and Regional DART teams can provide the following services: Anne Culver - HSUS: Emergency search and rescue of animals (pets, horses, livestock, and wildlife) Anne Culver - HSUS: Assessment of animal-related needs from natural or other events Anne Culver - HSUS: Retrieval, evaluation, and care for displaced, separated, or animals left behind Anne Culver - HSUS: Establishment and management of emergency animal shelters Anne Culver - HSUS: Relocation and support for disaster-affected animal facilities Anne Culver - HSUS: EOC staff for animal-related issues, donation and volunteer management, VOAD liaison, and media issues. Anne Culver - HSUS: HSUS response teams can be activated by government or by local organizations by contacting HSUS HQ (301-258-3063) or the appropriate Regional Office (see contact info at www.hsus.org/regions). Anne Culver - HSUS: Another area that relates to mutual aid is the Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT) which Avagene thought you all might be interested in. These teams are part of the National Disaster Medical Systems (NDMS - http://www.ndms.dhhs.gov) which is a federally deployable resource under FEMA s response division. Anne Culver - HSUS: There are three VMATs currently active based in Massachusetts/Florida (depending on the time of year!), Maryland, and North Carolina, with a fourth one starting up in Michigan. Anne Culver - HSUS: Teams consist of 62 individuals - veterinarians, technicians and support personnel available to support the veterinary function in an area affected by any kind of disaster. I am a member of the Maryland-based team, VMAT-2, as a logistics/communication specialist. Anne Culver - HSUS: You can learn more about the VMATs at this web site: http://www.avma.org/disaster/vmat/ Anne Culver - HSUS: As we approach hurricane season, the most urgent contingency planning for communities is to have sheltering alternatives for people with animals focusing on companion animals and small farms. This is particularly important in evacuation planning. Anne Culver - HSUS: We have several important sessions at the disaster conference on evacuation and sheltering issues, as well as a workshop/exercise (http://www.hsus.org/ace/20337) because we think this is a critical issue. Anne Culver - HSUS: The East Coast, particularly Florida and other hurricane- prone areas, has been the site of the largest evacuations in the history of the United States. (When Hurricane Floyd threatened those areas in 1999, an estimated 3 million people evacuated away from the coast.) Anne Culver - HSUS: However, in recent months there have also been large-scale and prolonged evacuations for wildfires in the West. These massive evacuations have shown the need to provide emergency sheltering not only for the human family members of evacuees, but also for their pets, horses, and livestock as well. Anne Culver - HSUS: Why are sheltering options for people with companion animals needed? You can look at published studies, but it is easier to ask most animal lovers about leaving their pet behind in a dangerous situation and they will say, Are you kidding? I will NOT be separated from my pal! Anne Culver - HSUS: Ideally, when an evacuation is ordered, the best option for anyone is to shelter with friends or family. Most people do this. However, in large scale evacuations, family and friends may also be displaced. Some people stay in hotels or motels, and if those businesses allow pets, so much the better. Anne Culver - HSUS: However, it is not always easy to find a motel that allows animals and not everyone can afford the price of the lodging. Pets can be boarded in kennels, if you can find one with space out of the danger area, but the costs can be prohibitive also. Anne Culver - HSUS: The current trend is for communities to provide temporary sheltering for animals in emergencies, where people and their animals are kept close together this may be in the same room, the same building, or near enough for the owner to visit and take care of their own animal. Anne Culver - HSUS: The advantage of emergency shelters for animals is that both owners and animals are first of all, safe from the disaster, and during the evacuation period and in recovery, they are less stressed, feel more secure, and are better able to cope with the disaster. Anne Culver - HSUS: So, we are asking members of all sorts of community groups to check to see if their community has plans for pet friendly sheltering as part of their disaster planning. So to this audience I say: guess who is going to be calling you? Anne Culver - HSUS: We are encouraging animal control agency or humane society to encourage their local emergency management to develop emergency animal shelters. We also recommend to people that they work with the larger disaster response community, such as the local VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster see www.nvoad.org), food banks (http://www.secondharvest.org), Salvation Army, etc., and, of course, their local Red Cross chapters. Anne Culver - HSUS: For more information... Anne Culver - HSUS: The HSUS has material, training, and advice for anyone looking into setting up emergency animal shelters. In addition, the HSUS biennial National Conference on Animals in Disaster (NCAD) 2004 will be held in Philadelphia May 12-15 (http://www.hsus.org/disasterconference). Anne Culver - HSUS: This will be a great source of information on a variety of topics dealing with animals in both natural and manmade emergencies, including a daylong training on setting up emergency animal shelters. For more information go to www.hsus.org/disaster or disaster@hsus.org; or call 301-258-3063. Anne Culver - HSUS: Well, That's about it for the formal part. Over to you, Avagene! Avagene Moore: Thank you very much, Anne. Very good information! I am sure our audience has questions for you. ... Avagene Moore: Our protocol for audience questions is to enter a question mark ? to indicate you wish to ask a question or make a comment. Avagene Moore: Then go ahead and compose your question or comment to have it ready, but do NOT hit your Enter key or click on the Send button until you are recognized by name. Please WAIT your turn. James Hansberry: ? Avagene Moore: We will take questions in the order the question marks are sent to the screen. One question at at time, please. If you have a follow up, please get back in line with another ? - courtesy is the order of the day. Avagene Moore: We are ready to begin now. Please input a question mark (?) at any time. Remember to wait your turn so we can handle the Q&A in an orderly fashion. Avagene Moore: Please input your ? now. Avagene Moore: Any questions, anyone? James Hansberry: ? Avagene Moore: James, whenever you are ready, input your question. Brian Smider: ? James Hansberry: Thank you Anne for the presentation. I was wondering, in an emergency, what steps do you take to mobilize your teams to ensure that everybody is notified of their role? Anne Culver - HSUS: HI James - good question... Anne Culver - HSUS: there are several groups of people who need to knwo our role... Anne Culver - HSUS: our National DART responders Anne Culver - HSUS: the Em in the affected area... Anne Culver - HSUS: and the citizens... Anne Culver - HSUS: our teams are trained in ICS and understand their roles... Burt Wallrich: ? Matthew Marmor: ? Anne Culver - HSUS: we work year 'round with EM professionals, states, counties, etc., to explain what we can do and how we operate Anne Culver - HSUS: and... Anne Culver - HSUS: we also try to make sure the public understands how to communicate their animal related needs through the local system Avagene Moore: Brian, please enter your question, sir. Brian Smider: How do you notify team members of the need to activate? Anne Culver - HSUS: we have a call-down list and protocols for them that they know in advance. Avagene Moore: Burt, your turn, please. Burt Wallrich: Comment (and you might have already mentioned this - I came in a little late): HSUS is a valuable part of Emergency Network Los Angeles, our local VOAD. That kind of collaboration increases everyone's effectiveness. Avagene Moore: An additional comment, Anne? Anne Culver - HSUS: Thanks Burt. This is the kind of cooperation that we promote. Avagene Moore: Matthew, your turn. Anne Culver - HSUS: ALso we have taken part in ENLA exercises, I believe. Matthew Marmor: What are you seeing nationwide as far as animal survival kits for use during a disaster (pet food, pet carriers? Avagene Moore: ? Anne Culver - HSUS: The best advice I can give is to send people to www.hsus.org/disaster - it has all the info. Avagene Moore: Anne, are you seeing local communities do more extensive planning for animal issues? Avagene Moore: (Please input your ? if you have a question.) Anne Culver - HSUS: yes - and it's very gratifying... Anne Culver - HSUS: people are coming to us because they have either had the problem or have seen another commuity with animal issues in an event. Lloyd Bokman: ? Anne Culver - HSUS: My dad always said to try to learn from other people's mistakes! Avagene Moore: Lloyd, whenever you are ready. Lloyd Bokman: Do you plan to work with Colleges and Universities, through there vet, agricultural, and natural resources programs to educate future professionals in these fields about the issues pertaining to animals in disasters? Amy Sebring: ? Anne Culver - HSUS: We have a lot of contacts at universities... Ollie Davidson: ? Anne Culver - HSUS: at our conference also... Anne Culver - HSUS: but more is needed to reach out to vet schools... Anne Culver - HSUS: there is only so much time... Anne Culver - HSUS: we do have a Rural Area Vet Service (RAVS) that takes vet students out to do spay-neuter - they get exposed to it but more is needed. Avagene Moore: Amy, your question, please. Amy Sebring: Are you conducting outreach through the state and local health departments infrastructure? Do you have access to Health Alert Network for example? Avagene Moore: ? Anne Culver - HSUS: In our support for state planning, we try to engage all involved departments... Anne Culver - HSUS: Health Alert Network sounds familiar but we don't work with them explicitly - good idea - have a web link? Amy Sebring: (thanks, will follow up offline) Anne Culver - HSUS: tks Ollie Davidson: ? Avagene Moore: Ollie, you are next. Anne Culver - HSUS: Ollie has more information on resource typing - a very interesting project and much needed Anne Culver - HSUS: BTW< Ollie is our Senior Disaster Advisor here at HSUS Ollie Davidson: We identified disaster experienced individuals with skills in each functional area who are from the entire spectrum of organizations, government and nongovernmental organizations. Ollie Davidson: The project allows the flexibility to ask others with more technical skills to review draft work products. Ollie Davidson: Initially identified are: State and local government planners, rescue team members, and experienced emergency sheltering staff. Avagene Moore: Are you through with your input, Ollie? Anne Culver - HSUS: This relates to standards for responders - you have to know what you are asking for and getting... Anne Culver - HSUS: in a mutual aid/EMAC context. Avagene Moore: Anne, are there good case studies out there somewhere that would emphasize the problems with abandoned animals and the disposal of those who are killed in disaster? If so, where? Anne Culver - HSUS: Well, the usual answer is that we are too busy to do case studies! ... Avagene Moore: (If you have a question, please input your ? at any time.) Anne Culver - HSUS: there are plenty of experiences - North Carolina has done some evaluation of disposal methods. Amy Sebring: ? Anne Culver - HSUS: THis is a bigger problem that people know - it does not usually get thought of. Avagene Moore: Amy, please. Amy Sebring: I am interested in the exercise that you mentioned. Is that a scenario for a table top that folks can use? Anne Culver - HSUS: At our conference? ray pena: ? Amy Sebring: I may have misunderstood. That is at your conference ? Will it you make it .. Amy Sebring: available online afterwards perhaps ... Amy Sebring: and the other conference proceedings? Anne Culver - HSUS: The emergency animal sheltering exercise is a full field simulation, with animals. Anne Culver - HSUS: Proceedings will be availabel on a CD afterward - by request. Ollie Davidson: ? Avagene Moore: Ray, your question, please. ray pena: Are you working with ARC on co-sheltering people and pets? Isn't there a public health concern? Anne Culver - HSUS: We work with ARC at their HQ level and also encouraging chapters... Amy Sebring: ? Anne Culver - HSUS: yes - they do not allow animals in their shelters... Anne Culver - HSUS: we like to collaborate with them - cross-training etc... Anne Culver - HSUS: our training specifically addresses the public health concerns for people and animals. Avagene Moore: Ollie, your question or comment, please. Ollie Davidson: Carrie Wetzel may want to comment on the Resource Typing Avagene Moore: Carrie, do you wish to comment? Carrie Wetzel: ? Avagene Moore: Go ahead, Carrie. Anne Culver - HSUS: BTW, on sheltering, there are lots of people working together - a session at our conference. Carrie Wetzel: Sure, I am working with Ollie and Anne in support of the Resource Typing effort Carrie Wetzel: if anyone would like to be included in the group for review of documents, please let us know. Thanks. Avagene Moore: Thank you, Carrie. Amy, your question. Amy Sebring: Speaking of exercises, I saw that TOPOFF 3 was just announced for a year from now. Any plans for HSUS to participate? Anne Culver - HSUS: I missed the announcement - depending on the scenario it could be very useful ... Anne Culver - HSUS: planning for people isn't really effective unless you include animals. Avagene Moore: ? Avagene Moore: Do you work with hotel / motel chains to grant some leniency re: pets when people are evacuted? ray pena: ? Anne Culver - HSUS: Yes - we have worked with them - many of them have said they will accept pets during a disaster even if their m=normal policy says no... Anne Culver - HSUS: bring a crate & tell Fluffy to be a good guest Avagene Moore: Ray, your turn, sir. Amy Sebring: ? Isabel McCurdy: ? ray pena: Our local HS is something of a dud on emergency preparedness. What is HSUS doing to encourage their involvement? Anne Culver - HSUS: also our public education tells peple to dcheck in advance and bring appropriate supplies Anne Culver - HSUS: what is your local HS? ray pena: Dane County (WI) HS Anne Culver - HSUS: most HSs are overwhelmed with normal operations... Anne Culver - HSUS: are you with the HS or EM? ray pena: EM Anne Culver - HSUS: We can send you info to help get started - also Our Midwest regional office - in Des Moines - can help you. Avagene Moore: Amy, please. Amy Sebring: I just wanted to remind folks that EMI's Virtual Campus has a self- study course on Animals in Disaster. See http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/crslist.asp Anne Culver - HSUS: We actualy have 3 IS courses! Avagene Moore: Thanks, Amy. Your courses need to be promoted, Anne. Isabel, please. Isabel McCurdy: Anne- evacuations during hurricane season is a common practice in USA, what animal aspects need to be improved on? What are lessons learned? Anne Culver - HSUS: Ray: email me aculver@hsus.org and I will give you contacts and info - free! :-) ray pena: Thanx! Anne Culver - HSUS: LL for evacs: if you have no provisions for people's pets, there is a LARGE chance they will not evacuate... Anne Culver - HSUS: especially if you tell them to "leave them at home with 3 dsays food & water" - that is a killer Anne Culver - HSUS: public nmessages must say "if you evacuate, take them with you." ... Amy Sebring: ? Anne Culver - HSUS: Georgia and FL and some others have done a good job on evacuation planning - teaching pet sheltering all over the state... VA and NC did a good job in Isabel Avagene Moore: Any other questions, folks? Please input a ? now. Amy, your turn. please. Anne Culver - HSUS: Parts of VA Amy Sebring: Anne, are you seeing more planning occurring for large scale natural events in the animal ... Amy Sebring: world. I don't have the right the terminology here ... Amy Sebring: I am just wondering if we are really prepared for emerging diseases, e.g. Anne Culver - HSUS: well, large scale always ends up being local - which is appropriate. The states must take the lead in making it an issue of importance for the local jurisdictions... Anne Culver - HSUS: and give them a framework... Anne Culver - HSUS: so they can get the volunteer centers, job descriptions, shelter locations - etc. where the rubber meets the road.' Avagene Moore: Does anyone have a question for Anne? Input a ? if you do. We have time for a couple more questions. Anne Culver - HSUS: I would like to know from the "reading" audience - does your community have any plans for animals Molly Johnson: ? Isabel McCurdy: ? Avagene Moore: Molly, please. Molly Johnson: Pima County, Arizona has some plans in place, but more is needed. Anne Culver - HSUS: are wyou with the county?: Molly Johnson: Yes, the Health Department Avagene Moore: Thanks, Molly. Isabel, please. Isabel McCurdy: Anne- disasters have no borders, is there a counter partner in Canada that you work with? Molly Johnson: ? Anne Culver - HSUS: we do get inquiries from a lot of Canadians (in fact I think some may be coming to the NCAD conference) - staff in our border states, particularly in the Rockies area seem not to know that there is a dotted line there... Anne Culver - HSUS: planning seems to be the same (with local variations) so we send them our planning materials - avl on our web site - also whatever help we can one-on-one. Avagene Moore: Molly, another question or comment, please. Molly Johnson: I'd ask the same question re: Mexico. Anne Culver - HSUS: Part of HSUS is Humane Society International - ... Anne Culver - HSUS: HSI has annual meetings with people from other countries and we in Disaster Services work with them all on disaster planning. Avagene Moore: That's all we have time for today. We greatly appreciate your efforts and time on our behalf today, Anne. Thank you! And we wish you great success with your upcoming conference. Avagene Moore: Please stand by a moment while we make some quick announcements .... Avagene Moore: If you are not currently on our mailing list, and would like to get program announcements and notices of transcript availability, please see the Subscribe link on our home page. Anne Culver - HSUS: THanks Avagene - anyone wanting more info - please contact us - this is what we are here for. Thanks all. Avagene Moore: We have one new Partner to announce this week: Ollie Davidson: ? Avagene Moore: Visual Incident Planning / Visual Imagry, Inc. http://www.viplanning.com ; the Point of Contact to the EIIP is Dee Beaugez, President. Avagene Moore: If your organization is interested in becoming an EIIP Partner, please see the Partnership link on our home page. Avagene Moore: Again, the transcript will be posted later this afternoon and you will be able to access it from our home page. Avagene Moore: Thanks to everyone for participating today. We appreciate you, the audience! Avagene Moore: Ollie you want to say something else? Anne Culver - HSUS: he is still here Ollie Davidson: sponsers several in states and regions.. Meeting quarterly they bring many disciplines together and it results in better cooperation and improved planning. ray pena: Thanks Amy, Avagene and Anne. Stellar stuff! Follow up to Amy's question, I read yesterday that avian flu likely spreads like foot and mouth. Scary stuff going on out there... Avagene Moore: Our session is adjourned but before you go, please help me show our appreciation to Anne for a fine job.