Today we all worry about the threat of a natural or man-made disaster. Animals are especially vulnerable during emergencies because they must totally rely on us for help. In 1998, Hurricane Floyd claimed the lives of millions of animals in North Carolina and thousands more were separated from their owners. Most of these animals could have been saved if a coordinated response plan were in place. After recognizing the need for an animal response plan, the State Animal Response Team (SART) was

born. In 2006, Maryland adopted the SART concept to create the Maryland State Animal Response Team (MDSART).

Through a private-public partnership, MDSART serves as a unifying network of organizations, businesses, federal/state government agencies, and individuals who support the need to provide prevention, preparedness, emergency response, and animal recovery. Since disaster response must occur from a local level, MDSART builds County Animal Response Teams (CARTs) across the state. County coordinators will be selected to lead the development of county teams, consisting of volunteers, who will respond to the emergencies.