- April 23, 2024
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April Dixon (right) holds the door open for Amy Carotenuto, during a tour of the buildings that will be used for shelters, pets in the building on the left, and people in the building on the right. Photo by Jacque Estes
Amy Cartenuto, director of Flagler Humane Society, checks out the multipurpose room at Rymfire, that is scheduled to be used as a pet shelter in the event of a disaster. Mike Metz and April Dixon look on. Photo by Jacque Estes
Katie Share, Flagler Animal Control, and Amy Carotenuto, Flagler Humane Society director, walk the grounds at Rymfire Elementary. The school is the first expected to be opened as a shelter in the event of a disaster. Photo by Jacque Estes
Flagler Schools risk manager Apri Dixon, took Flagler Humane Society director Amy Carotenuto and Flagler Animal Control officer Katie Share on a brief tour of the multipurpose room at Rymfire Elementary, the first school designated as a pet-friendly shelter in time of disaster.
“This is something new for us,” Dixon said. “We haven't had a pet shelter in a school before.”
In the event an evacuation order is issued for a hurricane or wildfire, Rymfire Elementary is the first shelter that would be opened. People would be sheltered in building 5, the main gymnasium, just a few feet from the pet shelter facilities in building 4.
Everyone involved in the tour, stressed that public shelters should be used when no other safe shelter is available. Pet owners will not be able to shelter with their pets.
“This is a place to survive,” Carotenuto said. "It is not the Hilton," Dixon added.
Carotenuto, her staff and volunteers, will take care of the animals. There are plans to set up assigned times for owners, to walk their own pets, but the area is not set up for owners to shelter with their pets.
“The best thing, is to make a plan to leave the area ahead of time with your animals,” Carotenuto said. “People with animals should have a disaster plan, at least in their head.”
In accordance with FEMA guidelines, some pets are not allowed in a public shelter. These include reptiles and arachnids. Carotenuto suggests finding a friend, who does not have to evacuate, to take care of these animals.
Share scoped out the grassy area by the building and questioned whether it was fenced it. Although it is, Share said a “fence within the fence” would most likely be added. Anything to ensure that the stressed pets are safe.
Carotenuto was measuring the room, 100 by 50 feet, and planning how it could be divided up, and partioned off, to separate the dogs and cats. Even though owners are required to bring a crate for each animal, Carotenuto knows the dogs will be howling and the cats will be scared, and a little buffer will be helpful. She was also figuring out how much visqueen (a durable polyethylene sheeting) would be needed to protect the floor and go half way up the walls.
“We come in and put the visqueen up, and then just roll it up and take it away at the end,” Carotenuto said.
Rymfire is the main shelter, with Bunnell Elementary as a back up, but a lot depends on the unknown. What type of disaster and how many residents it affects will determine what schools will be opened as shelters.
“We don't intend on opening more than this, but if the need came, we would open every school in this county if that was what was needed,” Charles Nies, director of plant services for Flagler Schools, said.
Nies said there are alternate loations to fit the specific disaster needs.
“Matanzas wouldn't be used as a storm shelter, but it could be used as a fire shelter,” Nies said. “It all depends on the situation.”
Flagler County Emergency Operations Center will be the organization determining when shelters need to be open. This information is disbursed through the media, online, or residents will be able to call a manned line 586-5111, activated during emergencies. The EOC also has disaster guides at their offices, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Bunnell, and at the county libraries.
