Volunteers, pets needed for emergency simulation

The Cape County Emergency Preparedness Team wants to borrow your dog. Or your cat. In fact, all pets -- scaled, furry or feathered -- are welcome.

Tuesday, the team is planning an exercise at Arena Park that will help members simulate opening and maintaining emergency shelters for people with pets.

The exercise is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and end about 1:30 p.m.

"We need as many people with pets and pet taxis to participate as we can get," said Dave Hitt, Cape County Emergency Preparedness Director.

In the event of a real disaster, the American Red Cross does not allow for pets in the human shelters. Sanitation laws won't allow it.

As a result many people with pets have refused help from the Red Cross.

"What we've had in the past, even in the floods of 1993, people would refuse to go to shelters because they can't take their pets," said Jim Watkins, a volunteer with the emergency preparedness team.

Tuesday's exercise will provide training and practical experience in pet care for the Red Cross and other agencies.

"We're one of the few counties that has gone to this measure in pre-planning," Watkins said.

The simulation will also allow the Baptist Disaster Relief Kitchen to become acquainted with their kitchen facility.

Watkins said people who want to help with the exercise should call ahead and let the Red Cross know how many animals and what type they'll be bringing.

Since lunch will be served to the human "refugees" event coordinators need to know how many to plan for.

For purposes of the exercise, the human shelter will be in the Arena Building and the pet shelter will be in one of the pavilions across the street.

As in the event of a disaster, animals will be photographed twice with one copy given to the owner and the other for shelter records.

The forms for pets are similar to the ones for humans, asking about allergies, medications, likes and dislikes.