Animal shelters available throughout state in case of emergency

As the result of Hurricane Irene, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture worked with county governments to make facilities available to those large livestock animal owners who needed to evacuate their farms or found themselves without power or water or access to their farms.

While very few farm owners needed the use of these shelters in this most recent storm, the Department of Agriculture is seeking to ensure there are enough facilities available that are able to accommodate large animals in the event of future emergencies or disasters.

The Department is asking anyone with a facility that could serve as a large animal shelter to fill out the form at www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/ah/pdf/largeanimalfacilitysurvey.doc.

When completing the form, please include two contact numbers that would be accessible 24/7 for each facility.

When a facility is made available during evacuations, it is the responsibility of the animal owner to care for that animal, including bringing feed, hay, etc.

Please return the forms no later than November 1 to:

New Jersey Department of Agriculture

Attn: Lynn Mathews

P.O. Box 330

Trenton, NJ 08625

Or by e-mail at debra.moscatiello@ag.state.nj.us.

Once compiled, a list of facilities will be made available to county offices of emergency management so they can access those resources in time of need.