July 2019 by Joe Hinkle, CAWA, Shelter Director, Field Investigations & Response, ASPCA

Audience: Executive Leadership, Foster Caregivers, Shelter/Rescue Staff & Volunteers, Veterinary Team

Video Length: 57:15

In 2018, the ASPCA provided emergency care and sheltering for over 8,400 animals impacted by disasters. The presenter discusses lessons learned and best practices from recent ASPCA emergency shelters with an emphasis on what your agency should be doing now to prepare for setting up and staffing an emergency shelter. This presentation was recorded at the 2019 ASPCA Maddie's® Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference.

About Joe Hinkle

Joe Hinkle, CAWA, is the Shelter Director for the Field Investigations and Response (FIR) Team at the ASPCA. He joined the ASPCA full-time in 2017 and is responsible for setting up and running shelters for animals from cruelty cases and natural disasters.

Prior to joining the ASPCA as the Shelter Director, Joe worked in various roles at animal shelters in Missouri, Kansas and Colorado, including as an animal control officer, director of operations and running a TNR/outreach program. Joe has extensive sheltering experience in response to disasters. Over the past year he set up and/or ran shelters in response to mudslides and wildfires in California and hurricanes in North Carolina and Florida.

In previous years, he also assisted in sheltering animals due to floods and tornados. Joe has helped set up shelters in all sorts of structures, including warehouses, tents, houses and fair grounds. He has used lessons learned from his time in brick and mortar shelters and long-term, temporary shelters to improve the care of animals housed during disasters. Joe continues to experiment with ways to improve the care and quality of life of the animals in shelters during disasters.