By Dwaun Johnson
KATC-TV 3
With hurricane season underway, Louisiana officials held a statewide tabletop exercise Tuesday to strengthen plans for protecting animals during emergencies. The daylong event at the Opelousas Civic Center marked 20 years of organized animal disaster response efforts since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Led by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the Louisiana State Animal Response Team, the 2025 Louisiana State Animal Response Tabletop Exercise aimed to improve coordination among local, state and national partners involved in animal care during disasters.