LARGE ANIMAL RESCUE SKULL SESSION
September 2nd

THE TOWN NATURE TRIED TO DROWN

This problem is based on a real scenario and is presented for a "Skull Session" discussion in the Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue Facebook Group. Location The incident has occurred in a small California town in the San Joaquin River Delta. Date and Time Some time in the middle of the night. Incident Details Heavy rains and high river levels had both public agencies and private citizens patrolling the nearby river levees for seeps, boils and potential overtopping. However unbeknownst to them, a great deal of runoff entered the complex system of irrigation canals that served the area's agricultural operations. Irrigation system canals and pipes start large, then diminish in size as they branch out to serve agricultural water users. This unintended influx of water quickly overran the smaller waterways and spilled into town. The area's drainage was not equipped to handle this inflow so the water collected and rose. Many residents woke up to several feet of standing water. The flooded properties included private properties with livestock and a couple of horse boarding facilities. Some roads were overtopped with water but most were safe to travel with caution. Large animals were standing in the water. Smaller animals were clinging to whatever they could get hold of. The primary livestock relocation center was impacted and unavailable. The county fairgrounds had suffered significant damage from an overflowing creek and was unavailable. Local hay supplies (haystacks) were standing in water. Stored farm chemicals and fuels were impacted. In many places there was an oily sheen on the water. Some properties were not completely flooded, having small portions of ground that were above the water line. It was evident that this issue was going to take weeks to resolve. Skull Session Questions What are your priorities? What are the safety issues? What resources do you need (in this case both short and long term)? Describe your action plan. Please post your answers to the Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue group. Skull Session rules. Please post your answers independently of the answers posted by others. Please also recognize that there can be varying perceptions as to what these scenarios involve since these problems are being solved using limited information. The values of these sessions include the various approaches the participants may suggest based on their varying perceptions of the problem, so it's not a matter of someone being right and someone being wrong. Please read, think, and post your answers to the TLAER Facebook group based on your perception of the problem presented. Continue to How the Incident was Resolved Go to Skull Session Index Return to the Strike Team LRTC Page

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