The Fall of 2010 Disaster Preparedness Updates

Citizen Corps Council of Pierce County was at PLU and at TCC for their Student Volunteer Fairs. We were also at the Disaster Preparedness Summit in Fircrest this year and at one in Gig Harbor. We need reliable volunteers that can work during flooding events.  We need people at the EOC, Emergency Operations Center, as well as watching the streams, setting up temporary shelters, evacuating animals and many other situations. The stream watchers use radios to keep us updated on how fast the rivers are rising. PCART, Pierce County Animal Response Team, is reorganizing. We had one Director leave, then the one that stepped in left about 6 months later. Paperwork is missing, so we are getting our act together and we will be better than before.  We have a core of about 8 people that are determined to make this a great success. We are recruiting volunteers, and would love to sign up animal lovers that can help in an emergency. We need kennels, boarding facilities, and animal hospitals that can take in some animals in a flood/evacuation event.  We need a bunch of people that have large horse trailers and can load nervous animals.  We need to find out which shelters (usually churches and community centers) have their own "animal teams" and which ones would like for us to come out and help get animals registered and settled in. With the La Nina weather pattern this winter, we will be in for some excitement for sure.