Dartcc

03/11/2026

Sea Lions Have a New Home! Evidence of Progress and Hope!

As of February 21st 2026 - two animals have been rescued from Marineland Canada and are now in safe and clean water!

Holly and Maui - 🦭
Two 18-year-old female seal lions have been rescued and are now acclimating at the Vancouver Aquarium. It is hopeful and encouraging to know these two marine lives are out of the Marineland site - and we continue to be thankful for the ongoing discussions for the rescue of the cetaceans (30 belugas and 4 dolphins).

It’s exciting to have hopeful rescue options emerging. The rescue of a sea lion is a massive feat of engineering and care.
Now, imagine the scale of the upcoming Beluga rescue. 🐳
Learn how you can help, below.


We want to acknowledge every hand involved in making this move possible. This is a story of progress, hope, and new beginnings.

We are celebrating Holly and Maui’s new beginning with the second-in-series Sea Lion Coloring Page! 🎨 Download your coloring page from this post or on our linked story page site below.

Take Action with Engagement
✅ Download: Get your sea lion or beluga on our Marineland Story page
✅ Personalize: Find an animal or an animal family to follow and send a note of support to the animals and the teams providing their daily, on-the-ground care.
✅ Share: Post a photo of your finished page and tag us.

Let’s show the world that the community is watching—and cheering.
🔗 Get your coloring page and the full report here: https://dartcc.org/marine-land

03/11/2026

The FEMA independent study portal is no longer hosting IS-100 and IS-700 — leaving many organizations scrambling to onboard and credential volunteers before the next disaster.
How is your organization handling the gap? Have you found workarounds, built your own materials, or adjusted your requirements?
Your experience helps the whole community respond better — for the animals, volunteers, and communities we serve.
📋 Share your approach in our short survey: https://forms.gle/oHXoQPhyEKZaTsQ69
📩 Or reach out directly: [email protected]

01/19/2026

Powerful perspective on leadership, ethics, and the role of elders. How we treat wisdom keepers, human and nonhuman alike, shapes the resilience of our communities.

09/17/2025

With EASApp™, volunteers can run emergency pet shelters with ease. Centralizing data, replacing paper, and streamlining operations so pets get the care they need when families are displaced.
We’re delighted to welcome The State of Massachusetts Animal Resource Team (SMART), Vermont Guardian Angel Ministries (GAM), Butler County Animal Response Team (BuCART), Kansas State Animal Response Team (KSART) and Kansas Sedgwick County Animal Response Team (SCART), Front Range Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps (FRVMRC), as partners in strengthening disaster preparedness.

Together, we’re building safer, more resilient communities.

09/03/2025

In a disaster, people won’t leave without their pets—and that can be life or death.

When Hurricane Katrina struck 20 years ago, thousands of pets were left behind. Many families refused to evacuate without them—tragically putting both lives and rescue operations at risk.

That heartbreaking lesson led to the PETS Act of 2006, requiring disaster plans to include animals. Because when pets are safe, people are safer too.

At DARTCC, we’ve taken that lesson to heart. Our EASApp platform helps emergency managers plan evacuations that keep families—pets included—together. With real-time shelter capacity, pet tracking, and reunification tools, we’re ensuring no one gets left behind.

Technology can’t stop disasters, but it can make our response more humane, resilient, and effective. And sometimes, protecting what people love most is what saves lives.

👉 How does your community integrate pets into emergency planning?

https://www.npr.org/2025/08/26/nx-s1-5467727/hurricane-katrina-pets-animal-rescue-disaster

08/29/2025

🐾 Every second counts in a disaster—and so does every pet.

EASApp has already helped save lives, but it’s only on Android. We’re raising $10,000 to launch the iOS version so every volunteer can use it, no matter their device. 📲

✨ Your gift = more pets safe, more families together, more lives saved.

🙏 Donate today & help us bring EASApp to the Apple App Store:
https://giving.classy.org/campaign/715989/donate

07/12/2025

🛠️ Disasters Don’t Just Affect People — They Affect Pets Too.

When we talk about preparedness, we mean everyone. That includes pets, animals, and the communities that love them.

But even the best local plan can fall apart without national support.

We need fully funded, fully staffed emergency systems—because no one should be left behind in a storm.

📞 Call Congress. Demand investment in FEMA, NOAA, and the National Weather Service.

When devastating floods swept through Central Texas, Austin Pets Alive jumped into action rescuing pets, reuniting families and offering priceless services for lost animals. With more than 3,500 volunteers and a mission to prevent pet deaths, the team is proving that in the chaos of disaster, compas...

07/10/2025

This was preventable. And if we don’t act, it will happen again.

The Texas Floods weren’t just a “natural disaster”—they were the result of decades of defunding and neglect.

➡️ 20% of key forecasting roles at the National Weather Service are unfilled.
➡️ NOAA has lost nearly 1,000 employees in recent years.
➡️ FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund is running dangerously low.

When disaster strikes, early warnings save lives. However, when we dismantle the systems that issue those warnings, we put every family, every home, and every pet at risk.

👉 Don’t wait until your town is underwater.
📞 Contact your members of Congress today and demand restored funding to FEMA, NOAA, and the National Weather Service.

As searchers continue to look for victims in the deadly flash flooding in Texas, officials are answering questions about the weather forecasts ahead of and during the storm.

07/08/2025

We have been trying to put into words how devastating it is to see the events unfold this past week. It’s been difficult, to say the least. But here goes…

Disasters are becoming increasingly common. Being prepared for a disaster emergency -- whether that's within your community, your home, an RV park, or a campground -- can only go so far. Understanding disaster preparedness, having a plan, and knowing what to do all depend on clear, accurate, and early warnings. And with the necessary precautions in place, with the early warning signs, this could have been avoided. It is both sad and scary to witness, because it could happen to any of us.

🚨Was this predictable? Yes. And more should have been done. Dependable national resources (the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), for starters) are put in place to track and warn communities of imminent weather events – to help save lives!

What happened? Mass firings, budget cuts, and years of neglect left key roles at these resources vacant, adding to the insurmountable stress and inevitable failure of a system meant to protect communities.

Make no mistake: If we do not act, a tragedy like this will happen again.

📢 What can you do? Speak up.
Contact your members of Congress today and tell them to
restore FEMA and the National Weather Service fully and immediately
Call. Write. Be heard: Our communities, our pets, and our future are worth it.

Our hearts are with the victims and families.

"The Trump regime is gutting scientific research into climate and atmospheric science for political reasons, at the very time we need a much better understanding of it," said one environmentalist. "This is so reckless and dangerous."

06/23/2025

Since June is Pet Preparedness Month, and Butler County has experienced its own disaster this month, we want to remind you of the importance of having a preparedness plan and evacuation go kit for you and your pets.

BuCART set up a pet evacuation shelter during the flooding. None of the pets we sheltered had an evacuation kit or important pet information and health records.

Having an evacuation kit and pet information makes it easier, and safer, for the responders caring for your pets.

04/04/2025

Introducing dark chocolate brown -- the newest color from the DARTCC Shop! The logos really pop, don't you think?

Every purchase helps support EASApp and DARTCC's mission.

Head to jemspe.com/dartcc_easapp to get this limited edition color while it lasts!