Animal rescuers attend conference on disaster preparedness

Sacramento, Calif.

- Animal emergency response specialists, veterinarians and disaster rescue volunteers are meeting at Sacramento's Doubletree Hotel June 3-6 for the National Conference on Animals in Disaster.

Sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States, the program offers lectures and workshops to exchange ideas, experiences and best practices in animal rescue, emergency sheltering and disaster planning.

Wednesday's breakout sessions cover organization of local animal disaster teams, emergency sheltering and funding for disaster response. Thursday's program features demonstrations of tools, equipment and techniques for disaster response. The final day's course covers techniques for administering first aid to animals in disasters.

Some 30 workshops are being offered, ranging from volunteer and resource management to large-animal rescue and psychological first aid. Additional information is available online.