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PRESS RELEASE
The Louisiana
SPCA and Southern University
Enter Agreement for Post-Disaster
Response Housing of Displaced
Animals
NEW ORLEANS
(6/13/06) – The Louisiana SPCA has
established a post-disaster shelter
option to house animals should New
Orleans be affected by another
catastrophic event that would
destroy or otherwise make the LA/SPCA
animal shelter unreachable or
uninhabitable. The LA/SPCA and
Southern University have partnered
together to create a post-disaster
sheltering location at Southern
University’s Agricultural Research
and Extension Center in Baton Rouge
if the LA/SPCA is unable to resume
operations at it’s regular facility
in the event of a calamity.
The LA/SPCA always evacuates its
animals when a Category 3 hurricane
threatens the city and resumes
operations once it’s safe to return.
In the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina, the LA/SPCA shelter on
Japonica Street was destroyed. “We
hope we don’t have to implement the
option, but we’ve learned that we
have to be prepared for any
scenario. This partnership assures
that we can continue to house stray
and or rescued animals for up to 30
days without interruption even if we
can’t return to our own shelter,”
said Laura Maloney, Louisiana SPCA’s
Executive Director.
The memorandum of understanding
between the two entities would allow
the LA/SPCA to use Southern
University’s Maurice A. Edmond
Livestock Arena for the housing of
rescued or stray animals from the
Greater New Orleans Area that would
be displaced by an emergency or
disaster. The memorandum of
understanding is effective between
the two parties through the year
2011.
“We’re pleased to have such an
agreement in place in advance and
Southern University has been very
generous in working with us to
facilitate our post disaster
response plan,” added Maloney. Dr.
Kirkland Mellad, Vice Chancellor for
Research at the Southern University
Agricultural Research and Extension
Center, serves as the coordinator of
the agreement for the university.
According to Dr. Mellad, “The Ag
Center is firmly committed to
partnering with the LA/SPCA in
ensuring that animals are adequately
cared for and protected in case of a
disaster.”
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