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, according to a press release from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.
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/lar geanimalfacilitysurvey.doc. And email it to [email protected].
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.
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.