retiredhappy wrote:As usual for around here, we haven't even had any rain yet. Don't know what it is about the weather forecasters here but they do a lot of "IT'S COMING, ITS COMING" then nothing happens. Frustrating.
We have a lot of evacuees here at the park. All the hotel rooms are full. They even put someone next to me in the empty host spot. I feel sorry for people with pets. Another good reason to have an RV. We've had so many people call for cabins but they can't have pets in them. Those of us in the office were sort of telling people who came in for cabins "what pets?" But yesterday one of the head honchos caught someone in the cabin with pets and went ballistic. Told them they had to kennel them immediately or leave the cabin. All the kennels in town are full and he knew it. Told them if they stayed it was a $500 fine. Talk about no heart. That was another reason why I decided to leave. I just can't tolerate assholes. Even the office manager is frustrated with the nonsense but has no control.
I, too, don't understand why people are so stupid as to try and ride out a storm. Altho I suspect there are folks who just don't have the money to leave and pay for a place to stay.
maybe your boss needs to read this...
New law puts funds at risk if animals are not in disaster plans
Kimberly Geiger, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
(10-10) 04:00 PDT Washington -- States will be required to help evacuate pets during a natural disaster such as a hurricane or earthquake or risk losing federal money under a bill signed Friday by President Bush.
The bill was prompted by reports that as many as 50,000 pets were stranded during Hurricane Katrina. Rescue agencies have been criticized for the "no pets" policy that required pet owners to abandon their animals or defy evacuation orders and stay in the disaster area. Nearly half of those who refused to evacuate said they didn't want to leave their pets behind, according to an April poll by the Fritz Institute, a nonprofit agency involved with providing humanitarian relief work.
"Katrina gave us insight into the lack of preparedness for people and their pets," said Michael Markarian, executive vice president of the Humane Society of the United States, an animal advocacy group that rescued thousands of abandoned pets during and after the hurricane. Markarian said that even disabled people with guide dogs were being forced to choose between their pets and their safety.
Though many states have responded to criticism of the "no pets" policy and now incorporate pets' needs in their evacuation strategies, the federal law will require all states to present the Federal Emergency Management Agency with pet evacuation plans before receiving federal funds for emergency preparedness.
The law also authorizes FEMA to provide additional money to create pet-friendly shelters and provide special assistance to pet owners.
"People victimized by disasters should not suffer needless additional injury by having to abandon their household pets or service animals to their fate," said Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, who introduced the legislation after seeing television coverage of a young boy being separated from his dog after Katrina. "This country needs the force of federal law to protect people in large-scale emergencies who own household pets or service animals such as guide dogs."
A new state law sponsored by Assemblyman Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, assures that California will be in compliance with the new federal requirements, Markarian said. California's law requires state emergency agencies to coordinate with the Department of Agriculture -- which has jurisdiction over animal rescues -- to create a statewide policy for pet evacuations.
Markarian said the lack of coordination among FEMA, private rescue workers and Louisiana's agriculture department complicated rescue efforts during Katrina. "There was no clear policy on how to deal with this issue, and many responders showed great courage and compassion ... but we cannot rely on individual acts of kindness," Markarian said.
A Zogby poll from October 2005 reports that Americans, by 2-to-1 ratio, believe that rescue efforts should include plans for accommodating pets, though only 4 percent say government agencies such as FEMA should be responsible for performing pet rescues. Instead, 42 percent say animal rights groups should conduct rescues, and 40 percent say the task should be shared among private groups, government agencies and individual pet owners. A majority -- 54 percent -- say they disagree with the "no pets" policy used in Katrina's aftermath.