Action-Items for Emergency Flood Evacuation for a Dairy Emergency evacuation of a dairy is an urgent, complex process, requiring that multiple tasks to be completed simultaneously by many people. Successful completion of an evacuation is most likely accomplished when a single incident coordinator is monitoring and supporting the efforts of employees assigned to various specific tasks. Communication is key. This checklist was reviewed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Evacuation Checklist •
Identify a Relocation Site Ideally a producer will have already discussed moving lactating cows to another family or neighbor’s dairy, allowing for uninterrupted milking. Space availability may require that more than one relocation site be used. Some processors and trade groups may be able to assist producers by compiling lists of willing host dairies and vacant facilities. County fairgrounds, sales-barns and feedlots have been used as a last resort if facilities with milking equipment are not available.
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Identify Transportation Resources In the past processors and trade groups have helped organize sufficient trucks, trailers and manpower to move a threatened herd. Barring that, the County Agricultural Commissioner or County Emergency Services Coordinator may be able to access transportation resources during a declared local or state-wide emergency.
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Contact Your Milk Inspection Service It is essential that producer inform his dairy inspector of the evacuation. If cows are being moved from one inspected dairy to another, no change will occur in Grade A permit status of either the evacuated herd or the host facility. If however a herd is evacuated to a vacant facility, local or state dairy inspectors will need to perform an emergency inspection to insure that all sanitation and hygiene requirements will be met.
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Prepare the Facility for Inundation Relocate heavy equipment such as trucks, tractors, ATVs which would be damaged by submersion. Shut off utilities: turn off electrical