Texas A&M veterinary experts recount experiences during North Carolina hurricane response

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – The Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team (VET) has returned to Aggieland after a 15-day deployment to North Carolina, where they provided critical care for search and rescue dogs operating in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

The storm caused widespread destruction in western North Carolina, resulting in extensive flooding, mudslides, and at least 96 confirmed deaths, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

A&M’s VET team was deployed on October 2 at the direction of Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Their mission was to support North Carolina’s first responders and national disaster teams in the recovery efforts, with a focus on maintaining the health and safety of search and rescue dogs, which played a crucial role in locating victims.

Dr. Deb Zoran, the team’s director, described the challenges they faced.

“This deployment was another first for us,” Dr. Zoran said. “We’ve been out of state before, but never to North Carolina. We had never worked in a mountainous region with the breadth of terrain and different search sites that we had to support.”

ALSO READ: Texas A&M’s Veterinary Emergency Team deployed to North Carolina

Dr. Zoran explained how the team was tasked with caring for search and rescue dogs spread across multiple locations.

“Our mission was to take care of working dogs, but they weren’t concentrated in a single area. They were in Asheville, Burnsville, Chimney Hill, and scattered across the valleys impacted by flooding,” described Dr. Zoran. “It was an enormous challenge to figure out where to place our team and how to direct our forward teams.”

On average, the team cared for 25 dogs daily, treating injuries, monitoring for hazardous exposures, and ensuring the animals could continue their critical work. Dr. Zoran highlighted the importance of their work in such disaster environments.

“They (search dogs) were searching in the most difficult areas because they were searching debris piles that were mounded up 20-30 feet tall, full of rocks, full of mud, full of tree debris, full of house debris. Very, very dangerous for their feet; very, very dangerous for their legs; very, very dangerous trip hazard, fall, hazardous. And so for us to be there and be close by, for those handlers and their canines working,” Dr. Zoran suggested, “it’s a comfort system, right? They know that should something very unexpected or unwanted happen to their dog, there’s somebody close by that can provide immediate care, and if that dog is injured in such a way that it’s even more than we can provide, we serve as that stabilization location while we’re getting in the appropriate transport. Whether that be an ambulance or a helicopter or whatever it might be, because these dogs are so valuable to the search mission.”

ALSO READ: Focus at Four: Texas A&M VET supports North Carolina after Helene devastation

Beth Bernardo, a veterinary technician with the team, emphasized the logistical challenges posed by the extensive search area. Despite the challenges, the team ensured each dog received the necessary care.

“There were so many dogs in the field, which isn’t uncommon. But for us, it was different because of the wide search area. It felt like trying to be in 10 places at once,” recalled Bernardo. “We worked hard to cover all of them and see who needed attention. It often took hours to reach some locations because of the devastation and lack of accessible roads,” Bernardo added.

The dangerous conditions required extra vigilance from both the veterinary team and the handlers.

“Our work keeps the dogs going, allowing them to continue bringing closure to families,” Bernardo said. “We’re not just there for the dogs but for their handlers too, who are an exceptional extension of the animals.”

Dr. Zoran echoed the sentiment, noting the comfort their presence provided to both the dogs and their handlers.

“Being there, close to the handlers and canines is a comfort system. It’s not just about patching injuries; it’s about ensuring they’re healthy and able to work the next day,” shared Dr. Zoran.

Reflecting on the deployment, Dr. Zoran acknowledged the valuable lessons learned.

“Figuring out their system of emergency management is a little bit different than Texas, and so you kind of have to figure out how they work and how can you fit into their system and where can you help them get you to the best place to help them? So, it was a really wonderful learning experience all the way across,” she said.

Bernardo also noted the importance of vigilance, given the hazardous environment, “It was high stakes due to the contaminants and debris in the field. We had to be extra careful to ensure we didn’t miss anything in our assessments.”

Despite the obstacles, the team said it remains committed to supporting search and rescue dogs in future deployments.

“Every deployment is different, but I think this one stood out the most just because of the people we brought with us. We had a lot of new people, and everybody really stepped up to be able to handle those. Another thing that was really different was just seeing all the different working dogs from all over. There were dogs from all over the country on this deployment, and we don’t see that a lot,” remarked Bernardo. “We got to meet a lot of new dogs, a lot of new handlers, and build that relationship, which was integral to our continuing our mission because we have to be able to have that relationship throughout the nation.”

Dr. Zoran added, the team’s focus on learning and improvement continues with each mission. Looking ahead, the team expressed a desire for future collaborations with North Carolina.

“The most important thing is that our team is part of Texas A&M, and our team members are incredible Aggies. We were gone for 18 days. That’s not our longest deployment ever, but that’s a long time to be in another state in very difficult conditions, representing our university and our state to help our friends in North Carolina. I think it’s important for folks to know that they’ve got some folks on our team that are here to help you and to help the animal side of things when things go wrong,” Dr. Zoran marveled.

She continued, speaking on VET’s mission, “It’s just important for everybody to know and understand this resource that we’re here both for the State of Texas. But we also want to help teach others how to do this. So, one of the things that we hope to be able to do in the future is go back to North Carolina and maybe help them create something similar there for the future. So, it’s both about being there to help, but it’s also being there to teach them how to do this in the future, because we’re a university and that’s what we do.”

The team’s ability to provide veterinary care for search and rescue dogs would not be possible without support from generous donors. Follow this link if you would like to support VET.

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