Based on her experience in the 2007 floods,Tina Coleman fiqured she’d better see what provisions had been made for people who had to evacuate to Red Cross shelters with pets. During the 2007 evacuations to Mamaroneck High School, people with pets were prevented from staying at that shelter. Tina and her husband Bill shuttled back and forth taking in 16 pets that they cared for until their owners could get back home.
Tina has been working with all types of animals since a young age. She has been trained through the American Humane Association for diaster relief, versed in animal CPR and has worked for veterinarians for over 25 years. She is with the Westchester County DA’s Task Force for The Prevention of Animal Abuse and helps out with pet rescue all over the United States.
Between rescue and her pet sitting business (aptly named Tails Up PetCare) she has had since 1987, she has a setup to care for all animals. She quickly moved things around to accomodate all of the pets, There is a difference between taking care of these owned pets as opposed to her clients pets.
“We don’t gain from other people’s pain”. she said.
Aware of this, on August 26, 2011, just ahead of Irene, Tina contacted the Westchester County Animal Response Team-a team that had been trained to respond to disaster situations.
When Tina heard that Westcart was on “standby” waiting for someone to call them, she and Bill figured they had better check on the situation themselves. On Saturday they went to the New Rochelle & Mamaroneck Police Departments and to the Red Cross emergency shelters at Albert Leonard Middle School and Mamaroneck High School.
Tina soon learned that no pets would be allowed. In fact, the staff at Albert Leonard had made up a sign with all the “no no”s” and NO pets allowed was right up there on the list. Nobody on site had ever heard of Westcart or knew that there was anyone they could call when an evacuee came in with pets.
Tina left her pet-sitting card and she and Bill became the “go-to” people when evacuees showed up with pets. As it turned out, all were from Mamaroneck but they would have opened their home to their New Rochelle neighbors had they been asked. Over the next few days, they took in 6 pets much to the relief of the owners who found themselves having to go to an evacuation shelter that would have made it clear no pets would be admitted. They were allowed to stand in a busy hallway to wait for the “animal people”.
And where was Westcart?
Throughout the weekend its director Steven Immerblum DVM talked about “home rule” and being on standby and having a trailer chock full of animal equipment and supplies but the call apparently never came from the right place and Tina’s calls for help didn’t count. When Rob Astorino announced on TV that Westchester Emergency management shelters were accepting pets we tried to alert him that he was being misinformed. His office’s response was that it was under control-evacuees with pets were being held in secluded areas until the animal people came. Of course they were! That was Tina and Bill! Nobody at the New Rochelle Animal Shelter ever got any instructions about evacuees with pets. And when Tina ran into Ed Merians, head of Mamaroneck Red Cross shelter he was sure appreciative that Tina and Bill had stepped forward.
Now with the emergency over and while we point our finger at anyone who refuses to evacuate without their pets or who leaves them behind, we somehow can not get our local powers-that-be to realize that federal and state law MANDATE that real provisions be made for the rescue and care of evacuee’s pets.
What would have happened to those 6 families if Tina and Bill — two private citizens — did not open their home gratis and out of the goodness of their hearts?
Thank God people like Tina
Thank God people like Tina and Bill still exist. I live in Tucson but I would feel terrible if during such an emergency I would get separated from my dog based on such a silly criteria. My dog is part of the family too, he is well behaved, clean and healthy. How could I ever leave him behind while I am being taken care of?
Westchester;’s “Plan”
Following Hurricane Katrina, the Robert T Stafford Disaster & Emergency Relief Act mandated that all jurisdictions must (if they want FEMA monies) have a plan in place for the rescue & evacuations of victims’ pets. Seems like Westchester’s plan is to have a FEMA paid-for trained team but never deploy them. And if someone had read tea leaves and learned who they were and how to contact them, their plan was to tell folks they could bring dogs or cats to the director’s private kennel up-county. Of course, we all know that hurricane evacuees, fire victims, etc. ALWAYS have their cars safe and sound, don’t we! And what if its not a cat or dog, well they had a list of rescues “someone” could call.
Red Cross Shelters Need to Accept Pets
Did we not learn anything from Katrina? Pets must be allowed in Red Cross evacuation centers. Pets are family members and it is not fair to expect people to leave their pets behind in an emergency. Additionally, when people can care for their own pets in an evacuation center it takes the burden of caring for abandoned pets off of the rescuers and first responders.
Red Cross
The Red Cross explicitly prohibits pets from crossing their threshold! Its real clear on their web site-it ain’t their problem. None of the red cross volunteers knew who to call (except for the ones Tina & Bill personally spoke to) and who knows how many people at other shelters simply walked out when they saw “no pets” sign.
FEMA Funding
Is the community being reimbursed by FEMA? It is my understanding that you have to have taken pets into consideration to receive FEMA funds.
Titles III, IV and V of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act), 42 U.S.C. §§5191-5193, as amended, and implementing regulations at 44 CFR Part 206, Subparts B, G and H.