The North Florida Horse Rescue, Inc. (NFHR) is a volunteer-run horse and animal disaster response organization. Founded to provide evacuation during natural disasters, North Florida Horse Rescue, Inc. also educates horse owners on disaster preparation, procedures and evacuation. Chris Dunn began the North Florida Horse Rescue, Inc. after seeing the tragedies left behind by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. We asked her to help us sensibly prepare for unexpected trouble. Her advice may take you by surprise.
What does your organization do, and how did you get started?
NFHR began after Dale (Dunn's husband) and I went out and worked after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. I didn't want to see what happened there happen again. I wanted to make sure everyone I came into contact with knew they need to be prepared in advance.
When Dale and I went to Lamar Dixon (a Louisiana staging area for horse care post-Hurricane Katrina) we worked under Habitat for Horses, and then in May we merged with them because they are the largest horse protection organization. They don't just rescue horses. We're a big one for the abuse cases, and we work with most of the federal state organizations for seizures.
What do you do?
My major role is emergency preparedness, and I am working with the Florida State Agricultural Response Team. Although I am educated and trained as an equine investigator, my heart is in emergency preparedness. And I lead up the Clay County mounted emergency response team.
Chris Dunn
Chris Dunn is the Unit Commander for the Clay County, Florida, Mounted Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Dunn started the North Florida Horse Rescue (NFHR) after helping horses and their owners in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. NFHR now operates under the umbrella of Habitat for Horses, a horse protection organization based in Texas. Dunn is on its board of directors, and she's the treasurer.
How do horse owners know how and when to evacuate?
When is you need to try to evacuate with horses 72 hours prior to something happening-I am talking hurricane here. With fire or flood you don't know it's coming until it's there. You need to be totally prepared beforehand.
What are some key ingredients for that preparation?
You need to have a preparedness kit, you need to know your horses can board a trailer, and you need to have a list of where you can go. You need to develop a personal safety plan, have a disaster kit ready, and see how much food and water your animals need to have.
You need to have proof of ownership-and that means your Coggins and vet records-in a waterproof container. That is what we did at the forum (an educational meeting for horse owners) this year. We had big plastic pouches, and we put everything in there along with emergency equine sheltering lists.
What is the most important item to have in the trailer or barn?
Medical kits that have everything in it . . . everything that you would need for a medical emergency with a horse. Bandages, a 10 cc syringe of Banamine from the vet, and syringes. Even if you didn't have this you would at least have antibiotic cream, ways to bandage up a wound. Almost like your first-aid kit for a person. We highly recommend you have some kind of anti-inflammatory in the kit, including anything that would take the edge off of a very stressed horse right away.
