Pulaski County’s EMA Director will be deployed to the southern portion of the state to help manage an outbreak of Avian Influenza.
The virus, considered highly pathogenic, was located in Dubois County last week. Federal, state, and local agencies are taking part in the response to help control an outbreak.
Pulaski County EMA Director Sheri Gaillard says this is an actual disaster that an incident team will attempt to manage.
“They’ve identified 65 farms, so far it’s just turkeys,” says Gaillard. “It’s over 250-thousand turkeys that have to be destroyed. It’s an economic disaster for them.”
The state’s District 2 map for emergency management services was tapped to form an incident team in response to the outbreak. During Tuesday night’s Pulaski County Commissioners meeting, Gaillard requested permission to deploy to the site.
Pulaski County’s deployment will last from January 28th until February 5th. Elkhart, Fulton, and Marshall County EMA representatives are staying behind to assist Pulaski County with any potential problems back home.
Commissioner Larry Brady says providing support is critical
“If an incident came through our area, other parts of the state would be coming up in here to give us the assistance we need,” says Brady. “So through the collaboration of our districts, working together to come up with a workable program it’s a win-win for everyone.”
A 10 kilometer control area has been established in Dubois County. Tests are being consistently run to track the spread of the virus.
The Pulaski County Commissioners approved the deployment, unanimously.
