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... This paper compares the disaster management response to these two events, reviewing 'After Action Reports' (Glassey, 2017a;Glassey and Anderson, 2019). These reports were written by the primary author (Glassey) who was involved in both the animal emergency responses and post-incident reporting in his roles with the SPCA National Rescue Unit (Edgecumbe flood) and Animal Evac New Zealand (Nelson fires) respectively. ...
... These reports were written by the primary author (Glassey) who was involved in both the animal emergency responses and post-incident reporting in his roles with the SPCA National Rescue Unit (Edgecumbe flood) and Animal Evac New Zealand (Nelson fires) respectively. In this paper we will not engage in critical analysis of the lessons revealed in the After Action Reports (Glassey, 2017a;Glassey and Anderson, 2019). Instead, we have assumed that the application of lessons identified from previous events (termed 'lessons learned') would improve future disaster responses, particularly with respect to public safety and animal welfare. ...
... In the days that followed, a multi-agency response to rescue and recover the animals left behind was mounted, including the Ministry for Primary Industries, Massey University Veterinary Emergency Response Team (VERT), Whakatane Emergency Response Team (WERT), Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), and local veterinarians, farmers and veterinarians. This was the largest animal rescue in New Zealand history (Glassey, 2017a). To give scale to this emergency, 15 homes were destroyed (or made uninhabitable) and a further 252 homes required repairs before being reoccupied (Shanks, 2018). ...
This paper compares the animal emergency management related lessons identified after two different disasters in New Zealand: the 2017 Edgecumbe Flood event and the 2019 Nelson Fires. It uses an ethnographic content analysis to compare two ‘after action’ reports and identity common themes, and lesson learning between events. It concludes that only seven per cent of lessons identified in the Edgecumbe Flood were applied at the Nelson Fires, nearly two years afterwards. Common issues related to training, capability, law, policy, planning, information management and incident management. The paper makes a number of recommendations from its analysis for improving animal emergency management arrangements, both domestically and abroad.
... This highlights the fact that the "animal issue" creates problems for police and security officials, yet emergency services in New Zealand and many other countries still adopt an institutional attitude of "people first." While excluding pets in evacuation efforts, they put their own staff and re sources at risk due to illegally returning evacuees (Glassey, 2017A;Glassey & Wilson, 2011). ...
... Animal rescue has become a major element in disaster rescue in the early 21st century, yet national and international protocols such as disaster search-marking systems often omit this evolving element of response. During the Edgecumbe 2017 flood event (New Zealand), the public were incorrectly advised by civil defense authorities that buildings marked with the letter "C" in a diamond had been condemned, when in fact the marking -as per the INSARAG guidelines-indicated the structure was "clear" of persons (Glassey, 2017A). The reality of modern society is that animals will be searched for and rescued during disasters. ...
Public policy around animal welfare in disaster management is a new field, both in practice and in research. Early studies in the 1990s paved the way for a wider and more internationally focused approach to the challenge of protecting both people and animals during disasters, with some countries introducing specific legislative instruments to afford
animals better protection in such events. Such reforms are largely motivated by the
recognition of the bond humans often have with animals, and the likelihood that they will
behave in a way that is protective of them, even at the risk of compromising human safety. However, the issues around animal disaster management and the associated policy are
complex and are best categorized as a wicked problem.
Production animals are generally highly vulnerable to disaster due to high stock densities
and lack of hazard mitigation. However, it is the lack of human–animal bond that leaves
these animals largely without disaster-risk-reduction advocacy. In contrast, companion
animals that enjoy the paternalistic protection of their guardians benefit from greater
rights, and their advocates have a stronger voice to effect change in public policy through
democratic processes. This article looks at the historical development of policy and legal
reform of animal disaster management in a global context and draws upon numerous
studies to provide evidence-based arguments as to why animals matter in disasters and
why there are significant public safety and political benefits in protecting them
... This paper compares the disaster management response to these two events, reviewing 'After Action Reports' (Glassey, 2017a;Glassey and Anderson, 2019). These reports were written by the primary author (Glassey) who was involved in both the animal emergency responses and post-incident reporting in his roles with the SPCA National Rescue Unit (Edgecumbe flood) and Animal Evac New Zealand (Nelson fires) respectively. ...
... These reports were written by the primary author (Glassey) who was involved in both the animal emergency responses and post-incident reporting in his roles with the SPCA National Rescue Unit (Edgecumbe flood) and Animal Evac New Zealand (Nelson fires) respectively. In this paper we will not engage in critical analysis of the lessons revealed in the After Action Reports (Glassey, 2017a;Glassey and Anderson, 2019). Instead, we have assumed that the application of lessons identified from previous events (termed 'lessons learned') would improve future disaster responses, particularly with respect to public safety and animal welfare. ...
... In the days that followed, a multi-agency response to rescue and recover the animals left behind was mounted, including the Ministry for Primary Industries, Massey University Veterinary Emergency Response Team (VERT), Whakatane Emergency Response Team (WERT), Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), and local veterinarians, farmers and veterinarians. This was the largest animal rescue in New Zealand history (Glassey, 2017a). To give scale to this emergency, 15 homes were destroyed (or made uninhabitable) and a further 252 homes required repairs before being reoccupied (Shanks, 2018). ...
... In April 2017, the sudden flooding of Edgecumbe in the Bay of Plenty resulted in over 1,000 animals being left behind in need of rescue after the township was evacuated [2]. Many of the owners of these animals returned secretly in defiance to rescue their animals. ...
A booklet that covers how pet owners can get prepared for emergencies and includes an emergency plan template.
The 2017 Edgecumbe flood in New Zealand necessitated the rescue of over 1000 animals, making it the largest companion animal rescue operation in the nation’s history at the time. This qualitative study explores the experiences and perspectives of six first responders from various agencies involved in the animal rescue efforts. Through semi-structured interviews, this study identified several key themes, including challenges during the rescue phase, post-rescue issues, the impact on the human–animal relationship and wellbeing, and the health and safety of responders. The rescue phase was characterised by difficulties in evacuating and rescuing animals, the influence of the socio-zoological scale on rescue prioritisation, issues with feeding animals in place, and the diversity of species requiring rescue. Post-rescue challenges included animal identification and tracking, decontamination, management of deceased animals, and long-term impacts on animals and owners. This study also highlighted the interconnectedness of human and animal welfare during the disaster, as well as the health and safety risks faced by responders. The findings underscore the need for comprehensive collaborative emergency response planning that addresses the needs of both humans and animals, as well as the importance of ongoing efforts to build resilience and preparedness in communities. Lessons learned from the Edgecumbe flood can inform future policy, planning, and practice to enhance the effectiveness and compassion of animal-inclusive emergency management.
With the increasing societal expectation that animals are afforded greater protection in emergencies, the legal process from entering a property to rescuing a companion animal, through to how to dispose of such animals if they remain unclaimed has not been well examined in New Zealand. It is hypothesised that the legal framework for such a response is flawed. In this study, each phase of animal disaster rescue is evaluated against four key statutes that may apply in each phase, in that does any statute provide clear end-to-end provisions with clear legal authority to do so? The study found that all statutes evaluated contained flaws and that the current legal provisions are insufficient to provide clear authority for the sequential process of undertaking the rescue of animals during emergencies. A major flaw was discovered in the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002, a key statute, that provided for the seizure of property and animals but omitted a procedure for the disposal of such seized things leaving them all in legal limbo. It is recommended that animal disaster laws be updated to be more animal inclusive. The method also may be applicable to assist evaluating animal disaster management legal frameworks in other countries.
A comprehensive review of laws and an associated legal arrangements pertaining to animal welfare during emergencies in New Zealand, and recommendations how the New Zealand government can improve its statutory arrangements to better protect pets and people following the lessons for the Christchurch (2010, 20111) earthquakes, Kaikoura Earthquake (2016) and Edgecumbe Flood (2017). The report was supported by Gareth Hughes MP and presented to the NZ Parliament in January, 2019, published by Animal Evac New Zealand Trust.
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 became the genesis of animal emergency management and created significant reforms in the US particularly the passage of the Pets Emergency and Transportation Standards Act in 2006 that required state and local emergency management arrangements to be pet- and service animal-inclusive. More than a decade later Hurricane Harvey struck the Gulf states with all 68 directly related deaths occurring in the state of Texas. In this study, six key officials involved in the response underwent a semi-structured interview to investigate the impact of the PETS Act on preparedness and response. Though the results have limitations due to the low sample size, it was found that the PETS Act and the lessons of Hurricane Katrina had contributed to a positive cultural shift to including pets (companion animals) in emergency response. However, there was a general theme that plans required under the PETS Act were under-developed and many of the animal response lessons from previous emergencies remain unresolved. The study also observed the first empirical case of disaster hoarding which highlights the need for animal law enforcement agencies to be active in emergency response.
