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Midwest Regional EDEN Animal Agrosecurity Conference
October 8, 2008
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this After Action Report/Improvement Plan (AAR/IP) is to analyze the results of a High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) disease outbreak exercise held on October 8, 2008, in
St. Louis, MO, as part of the Midwest Regional EDEN Animal Agrosecurity Conference. The exercise was designed to address the target capability of Animal Health Emergency Support with a focus on problem identification and assessment of capabilities associated with a HPAI disease outbreak. The exercise focused on the overall response and decision-making process by local, state, and federal government officials, Extension educators, the Extension Disaster Education
Network (EDEN), local veterinarians, and industry organizations under simulated conditions in a
Discussion-Based (Tabletop) exercise. The exercise focused on the overall response and decision-making process and emphasized communication, coordination between entities and resource allocation. The AAR/IP is intended to identify strengths and areas of improvement and provide a method to address the deficiencies noted in the report.
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Midwest Regional EDEN Animal Agrosecurity Conference
October 8, 2008
CHAPTER 1: EXERCISE OVERVIEW
Exercise Name:
“Operation AI”
Duration:
2 Hours
Exercise Date:
October 8, 2008
Focus:
Response
Scenario:
High Pathogenic Avian Influenza outbreak
Participants:
Midwest Regional EDEN Animal Agrosecurity Conference attendees
Evaluation Methodology Based On:

Written Participant Critique

Discussion during the State Reports
Objectives:
1. Notification – Discuss what key stakeholders within the affected states should be notified of the diagnosis of a presumptive diagnosis of a HPAI outbreak.
2. Direction and Control – Discuss what agency is in charge during a depopulation, disposal and cleanup operation following a poultry disease outbreak.
3. Public Information and Media Control Discuss options to provide timely information to the public and avoid dissemination of conflicting data. Discuss how media releases will be coordinated between the companies, and state, local and federal agencies.
4.
Resource Management – Identify what stakeholders (business/industry, state, local, federal, and Extension) resources will be needed to assist in the depopulation and disposal of affected poultry.
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Midwest Regional EDEN Animal Agrosecurity Conference
October 8, 2008
CHAPTER 2: EXERCISE SYNOPSIS
PHASE I
SATURDAY, MARCH 18 TH
Each year a large swap meet is held in St. Charles County, MO, at which time vendors from
Missouri, and surrounding states come to sell exotic birds, game birds, waterfowl, chickens, and turkeys, while many others come to purchase them. The swap meet is eagerly anticipated by people as it’s the first swap meet of the season, it has lots of vendors, and the time of year that people are starting new flocks.
Many of the chickens purchased that day were 4-H kids who wanted to raise chickens as one of their projects.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22 ND
Sam, one of the 4-H kids from southeast Missouri, bought a dozen chickens and a rooster at the swap meet. When Sam got home that night from baseball practice, he discovered 6 of his chickens and the rooster were dead. He told his mom and she called other 4-H families in the area to let them know what had happened. Later they called back and reported many of their chickens were also dead.
One of the families called a retired neighbor, Buddy, who had raised chickens for years and is considered an authority on chickens. He went over to the neighbor’s farm and after seeing the dead chickens, told them to call the vet.
One of the other families called the 4-H Extension Specialist. Although it was late, she came right out. She immediately left a message for the local vet who was on another call. The vet did not return the call that night because it was late by the time he got home. The Extension
Specialist called the other families in the club to alert them of the problems with the chickens.
THURSDAY MORNING, MARCH 23 RD
Buddy’s son, Junior, who lives with him, leaves for work, not realizing what had transpired the night before at the neighbor’s home. He delivers for one of the feed companies that supplies feed to many of the poultry company farms in the area. He has problems with the auger at his first delivery, gets out of the truck, fixes the auger, delivers the feed, makes a delivery to the second farm, and goes back to the company feed mill. Immediately after he finishes his delivery route, he helps his brother-in-law, who had been injured that day, load out turkeys for the processing plant.
One of the families dropped off a couple of chickens at the vet’s office on their way to work.
The vet, after viewing the chickens, immediately called the Foreign Animal Disease
Diagnostician (FADD) from that area, who immediately went to the vet’s office to examine the
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Midwest Regional EDEN Animal Agrosecurity Conference
October 8, 2008 chickens. After a call to the State Veterinarian, and discussion with the Area Veterinarian in
Charge (AVIC), samples are driven to University of Missouri Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and the
National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, for confirmation and official classification.
FRIDAY MORNING, MARCH 24 TH
The MO State Veterinarian is notified by the University of Missouri Veterinary Diagnostic Lab that the presumptive diagnosis indicates a high path strain of Avian Influenza. The Missouri
Initial Response Plan is activated. In a proactive move, MDA officials call county emergency management directors in the impacted counties to notify them of the presumptive diagnosis and a potential need for assistance. Quarantine zones are set around the known locations.
During this same period of time, the Illinois and Kentucky State Departments of Agriculture have also received notification of dead and dying chickens and roosters from people who had purchased them from the Missouri swap meet, and are reacting in similar fashion.
QUESTIONS:
STATE AGENCIES
1. Considering that a Presumptive Diagnosis of a High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been diagnosed in Missouri, what other key partners within Missouri, as well as Illinois and
Kentucky, should be notified of this diagnosis?
2. For the other states that are waiting for test results, or other states that have heard of the situation in Missouri, what actions will you take?
3. Who is “in charge” of the situation within your state?
4. What are the key issues that need to be addressed at this point?
5. If your agency is notified, what actions will occur within your agency at this time?
6. Should the media be notified? If so, who from your state should release the information to the media, and what information should be released?
7. What additional information do you need at this point, and where will you get it?
EXTENSION
1. Will Extension be notified that a Presumptive Diagnosis of a High Pathogenic Avian
Influenza (HPAI) has been diagnosed in Missouri? If so, what department will be notified?
2. What role do you play in this situation?
3. Will this information be shared with other Extension departments or will that information be contained until an official confirmation of HPAI is made?
4. If cases in other states are confirmed, what method is used to share appropriate information with Extension departments in other state universities?
5. How will Extension keep current on the event?
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Midwest Regional EDEN Animal Agrosecurity Conference
October 8, 2008
USDA /FEDERAL AGENCIES
1. Your agency has been notified of the Presumptive Diagnosis of a High Pathogenic Avian
Influenza (HPAI) in Missouri, and the possibility of the same situation in several other states.
Based on the information that is available, and your agency’s emergency plan, what will your agency do with this information?
2. What resources will USDA be able to provide to Missouri, and other states if necessary, as they prepare to depopulate the diseased poultry on the affected farms?
3. What other federal agencies will be notified of the diagnosis and what resources can they provide to the situation?
LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE/LOCAL AGENCIES/LOCAL GOVERNMENT
1. You have been notified of the Presumptive Diagnosis of a High Pathogenic Avian Influenza
(HPAI) in Missouri. Based on the information that is available and your agency’s emergency plan, what will your agency do with this information?
2. What resources will your agency be able to provide to MDA and the families as they prepare to depopulate the chicken populations on the affected farms?
3. Considering the economic impact of a poultry disease to our economies, who in your county should be notified of a Presumptive Diagnosis of a HPAI?
COMMODITY/INDUSTRY ORGANIZATIONS
1. Will your commodity and industry organizations be notified when a Presumptive Diagnosis of a High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is determined? What will you do with this information?
2. What assistance can you give to the state and federal agencies as they begin to depopulate affected farms?
PHASE II
SUNDAY MORNING, MARCH 25 TH
Due to the fast growing virus, test results are returned from the NVSL in Ames, Iowa, on March
25 th
with a confirmation of HPAI with no known risk to humans. Based on the Tri-State Plan
(Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma), the Missouri State Veterinarian issues the order to establish quarantine zones of 6 miles around each infected farm. Based on the positive test results, an emergency meeting between the Missouri Department of Agriculture Director and the
Governor of Missouri results in a State Emergency Declaration and the emergency classification is raised to a Class III. A request for a Secretary of Agriculture Emergency Declaration and a
Presidential Disaster Declaration is also requested. Meanwhile the district veterinarians have started an epidemiological investigation into the disease outbreak by interviewing the 4-H families. Their investigation determines where they purchased the chickens, their farm layouts, the number of chickens they had on the farm, how many died, age of the birds, approximate
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Midwest Regional EDEN Animal Agrosecurity Conference
October 8, 2008 weight, recent visitors and routine traffic in and out of the farms. The state veterinarian orders movement of susceptible species of livestock stopped in the state for 72 hours.
USDA imposes a federal quarantine on the state for interstate commerce and starts coordinating response to the outbreak with Missouri.
The test results for the cases in Illinois and Kentucky have come back with a Presumptive
Diagnosis of a High Pathogenic Avian, and they are starting to respond to the situation in a similar protocol as Missouri. It is feared that cases may appear in other states as the swap meet attracted people from other Midwest states.
Because there is no way to trace the location of all the wild birds, chickens and turkeys that were sold at the swap meet, USDA and the state departments of agriculture across the United States are on high alert. Industry and company farms are increasing their biosecurity techniques.
Once the knowledge of the confirmed case spreads, Missouri is notified of trade restrictions. All flocks in the quarantine zones must be tested within 7 days to satisfy U.S. trading partners. Plans are underway to depopulate the infected premises.
Three company farms in Missouri have noticed sick birds on their farms and have notified the companies. Testing is underway, and the epidemiological investigation is expanded to include the company farms.
The story of the HPAI case is the top story reported on the evening news. The reporter alarms the public by comparing the HPAI case to the Spanish Flu of 1918. The Spanish Flu claimed millions of lives worldwide.
Workers on the affected farms are worried they will catch the disease and refuse to report for work until their personal health security is assured.
QUESTIONS:
STATE AGENCIES
1. Although only Missouri has confirmed cases of HPAI, there are two other states with presumptive cases, with the possibility of other states eventually discovering cases in their states. Quarantine zones must be established around each affected farm. Knowing that each check point must be maintained 24/7, how will states staff these check points?
2. What other state agencies will be needed in the response and recovery of the event? Will they have the requested resources? If not, where will they find them?
3. Who will have overall control at the incident sites? What location will you use to
coordinate governmental response with local governmental agencies? Will a Command Post be established? If so, where will it be set up?
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Midwest Regional EDEN Animal Agrosecurity Conference
October 8, 2008
4. Who will be allowed to enter the quarantined farms?
5. Where will you locate flu vaccine to vaccinate the employees from your agency that working on this incident? are
6. What type of disinfectant will you use on vehicles exiting the quarantined zone? Is there an environmental hazard that must be addressed?
7. How will you notify the public that the state veterinarian has ordered movement of susceptible species of livestock stopped in the state for 72 hours and that USDA imposed a federal quarantine on the state for interstate commerce?
EXTENSION
1. Will Extension be notified of the confirmed cases of HPAI in Missouri?
2. What role do you play in this situation?
3. How will the information concerning the HPAI outbreak be shared with Extension departments in other state universities?
4. What resources can Extension provide to the situation, and how will you coordinate these resources?
USDA/FEDERAL AGENCIES
1. What resources will USDA provide to Missouri, local and other state agencies, the companies and private farm owners that are affected by the HPAI outbreak, anticipating that others states may also have confirmed cases of HPAI within the next few days?
2. What information can you give to farm workers concerning the safety of their work environment?
3. What information can your agency give to the public to alleviate their concerns about catching the flu from the infected flocks?
4. What resources can other federal agencies provide to the event? How will this be coordinated with USDA?
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Midwest Regional EDEN Animal Agrosecurity Conference
October 8, 2008
LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE/LOCAL AGENCIES/LOCAL GOVERNMENT
MDA has established quarantine zones around each affected farm. Each zone has a check point that must be maintained 24/7. In anticipation of the number of personnel that will be required to meet this need, MDA is requesting assistance from state agencies and local response agencies.
1. What resources can your agency provide to MDA to meet this need? How will you coordinate your response with MDA and the state agencies?
2. Where will you locate flu vaccine to vaccinate local responders that are working on this incident?
3. What will be the primary means of communication between Command Posts, EOCs and response agencies? Is it adequate?
4. Can you locate additional resources if the disease spreads?
5. How will you handle the enormous number of calls from citizens who are worried about catching the flu?
6. What agencies will you coordinate with before releasing information to the public
concerning this issue? How will you address the issue of English as a Second Language in regards to releasing information to the public?
7. What other issues will your agencies have in regards to a confirmed case of HPAI?
8. Will your counties declare a local state of emergency? Will you activate your county’s emergency operations center? If so, at what level?
9. Will it be necessary to request state or federal assistance at this time?
COMMODITY/INDUSTRY ORGANIZATIONS
1. Will your commodity and industry organizations be notified when the confirmed cases are determined? What will you do with this information?
2. What assistance can you give to the state and federal agencies as they continue to respond to the situation?
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Midwest Regional EDEN Animal Agrosecurity Conference
October 8, 2008
PHASE III
THURSDAY MORNING, MARCH 30 TH
Depopulation is in process on the affected farms. State vets from other states are calling in response to the news about the outbreak in Missouri asking if anything had been shipped from
Missouri to their states within the last week or so.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a Secretary of Agriculture Emergency Declaration.
No word if the Presidential Disaster Declaration will be approved.
The cases in Illinois and Kentucky have been confirmed HPAI. Iowa is also receiving reports of suspect cases.
The one of the three companies in Missouri has confirmed cases of HPAI. The companies have already begun depopulation operations.
QUESTIONS:
STATE AGENCIES
1. The governors’ offices in the states that have confirmed cases are being inundated with calls from the media and citizens across their states asking about the safety of the chicken and turkey supply.
2. The news media is asking how long the quarantine will be in affect.
3. News satellite trucks are beginning to arrive and have lots of requests. They want to go onto the farms to film their news casts, they want to interview government officials and they want to set up close to the farms. How will you handle their requests? Will you designate a location for news conferences?
4. Your agencies will have long term responsibilities as infected and exposed fowl from company and contract farms are depopulated and disposed. As the operation expands in area and longevity, how will your agency maintain long term operations? Do you have mutual aid agreements from other states or additional private companies that can provide assistance to your agency as you carry out your responsibilities?
5. How will you absorb the overtime costs and additional resources needed for this response?
Keep in mind that there is no guarantee that a Presidential Disaster Declaration will be issued.
6. The mental toll on farm owners, company employees, responders, and private land owners is beginning to emerge. What kind of training will you offer your employees to recognize mental health issues as they emerge and possibly affect your job duties?
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Midwest Regional EDEN Animal Agrosecurity Conference
October 8, 2008
EXTENSION
1. What resources can Extension provide to the situation, and how will you coordinate these resources with governmental agencies?
2. How can Extension departments in states not affected assist those states that have positive cases of HPAI?
USDA /FEDERAL AGENCIES
1. What assistance will USDA offer the contract farm owners, the companies and private land owners as they depopulate their farms and property?
2. What indemnity is available to those who have lost property or provided resources to assist in the depopulation and disposal of the infected and exposed animals? How do they apply for the compensation?
3. Are there additional resources that the other federal agencies can provide to USDA as they continue to assist the states in the depopulation of diseased animals and cleaning operations of the affected farms?
LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE/LOCAL AGENCIES/LOCAL GOVERNMENT
1. Schools within the affected states want to know what roads are open and also if the children that live within the quarantined zones are infected and/or contagious? Schools are also experiencing a significant decrease in attendance which is affecting their school funding.
What information can you give to the public to alleviate their concerns that their children may catch the disease from children who live in the quarantined area?
2. How will you coordinate news media request with your department of agriculture and other state agencies?
3. The news media is calling and asking what health regulations are in place to inspect local lockers and restaurants that serve chicken.
4. Lots of local residents are driving out to see the operation? How will you handle the additional traffic?
5. Many of your agencies will have long term support responsibilities as your state department of agriculture and USDA depopulate and dispose of infected and exposed fowl from affected farms. As the operation expands in area and longevity, how will your agency maintain long term operations? Do you have mutual aid agreements or private companies that can provide assistance to your agency as you carry out your responsibilities?
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Midwest Regional EDEN Animal Agrosecurity Conference
October 8, 2008
COMMODITY/INDUSTRY ORGANIZATIONS
1. What other assistance can you provide to the situation?
PHASE IV – TWO WEEKS LATER
RECOVERY ISSUES
The economic toll of this disaster has affected businesses, which in turn has affected state and local government budgets. It has also increased the need for many services. Examples include on-going mental health needs, decreased property values, loss of business to the local communities and companies involved, increased government needs. Contemplate and list the recovery issues facing your entity at the conclusion of the event.
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Midwest Regional EDEN Animal Agrosecurity Conference
October 8, 2008
CHAPTER 3: STRENGTHS AND AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Capability Description:
Animal Health Emergency Support is the capability to protect, prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from threats and incidents that would result in the disruption of industries related to U.S. livestock, other domestic animals (including companion animals) and wildlife and/or endanger the food supply, public health, and domestic and international trade. It includes the ability to respond to large-scale national and regional emergencies as well as to smaller scale incidents through rapid determination of the nature of the event, initiation of the appropriate response, containment of the disrupting effects, and facilitation of recovery.
Capability Outcome:
Foreign animal disease is prevented from entering the U.S. by protecting the related critical infrastructure and key assets. In the event of an incident, animal disease is detected as early as possible; exposure of livestock to foreign diseases is reduced; immediate and humane actions to eradicate the outbreak are implemented; continuity of agriculture and related business is maintained; economic damage is limited; and public and animal health and the environment are protected. Trade in agriculture products and domestic and international confidence in the U.S. food supply are maintained and/or restored. Agricultural industries are returned to their prior productivity, to include replenishment of the domestic livestock and other domesticated animals.
KEY STRENGTHS

Most everyone seemed to know who to contact.

All participants were interested in getting the job done and realized the importance of coordination between agencies.

A better understanding of the issues associated with a Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) outbreak versus a natural disaster was gained by attendees.

It was important that all groups (local, state, federal, academia, industry and commodity groups) were involved in the discussion.

Participants used the experience and abilities of the diverse groups to solve the problems presented in the scenario.

Extension was recognized as a valuable resource; identified the abilities of Extension.

The participants that were not familiar with the Extension Disaster Education Network
(EDEN) were interested that such a network of resources was available for use during disaster response and recovery operations.

The need for early warning communications during an FAD to local Extension educators was recognized.

Discussion of the role of public information and media control was discussed throughout the exercise. It was recognized that coordination of public information is not only a requirement of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) but is a necessity to enhance a response and recovery to an FAD.
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Midwest Regional EDEN Animal Agrosecurity Conference
October 8, 2008
AREAS OF IMPROVEMENTS

Participants involved in an FAD need to understand that notification of this type of event will be handled differently than other hazards because of the economic impact of early disclosure of a suspect case. This change of notification will impact the entry points for the different levels of government into the response operation. The agricultural departments within the states and the federal government have specific plans and resources to address depopulation, and cleaning and disinfecting of affected premises. Local governments will be asked to provide specific resources to the event, as well as handle the local issues that occur quite naturally during a disaster in their area. Perceptions that the “feds” want to come in and take over operations and diminish local levels of participation need to be alleviated as all levels of government will be needed in response to an FAD outbreak.

Participants should not only become more familiar with the resources that Extension educators and the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) can provide during a disaster but also work with these resources in preplanning for an FAD outbreak. Likewise, Extension educators needs to become more acquainted with the emergency response system that is in place within their state, their local communities, and the federal government and work with these other agencies in preplanning efforts.

Local Extension personnel asked who were they to report to during an FAD, the Director of
Extension for their university, regional directors, local emergency management, an incident commander, or the State Veterinarian. More importantly, the question that must first be answered is, to what extent are they to participate? The Director of Extension for each university must determine if their Extension personnel will become part of the response operations. If so, they must be trained in the Incident Management System (ICS). This then answers the question who will they report to during an FAD response.

It became obvious during the exercise that resources concerning biosecurity, animal disease definitions, communication plans, etc. are available from various resources (state and federal governments, university Extension programs, EDEN, non-governmental organizations, industry).
Although variations were noted, many of the duplications were a result of stakeholders not being aware of the other available resources. University Extension programs and EDEN bring research based information to the public prior to, during, and post disaster, while other stakeholders
(government, industry, non-governmental organizations) also bring their resources to the table.
It is recommended that stakeholders work together to assess what resources are available, what is needed, and what is currently available before spending time and money developing resources that are already developed.

Several local veterinarians attended the conference and participated in the exercise. They indicated in their critique that local veterinarians should be included in the planning efforts by government agencies, Extension, etc. as they may become the first stakeholder to be alerted to the possibility of an animal disease outbreak. The state veterinarian medical associations could be instrumental in accomplishing this task by encouraging their members to contact the local emergency management agencies, state veterinarians, and Extension educators within their areas.
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Midwest Regional EDEN Animal Agrosecurity Conference
October 8, 2008
CONCLUSION
Although this exercise was part of the agenda for the conference and not developed for a specific jurisdiction or governmental agency, it provided insight into some common issues facing the attendees. It is recommended that every attendee review the recommendations and try to implement what is appropriate for their specific situation. In addition, EDEN should consider these recommendations as they continue to link Extension educators from across the U.S. and various disciplines, enabling them to use and share resources to reduce the impact of disasters, particularly those faced with the threat of a FAD.
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