Notice how I phrased the question in a way that made it sound like it was my wife who was concerned
Dear Mr ******
******* County Council have plans in place to support the public and
transient population in the event of an emergency. We have 33 Strategic
Rest Centres that we have planning in place for across ******* and we are
often called upon to support our District Colleagues and the Police in
smaller Ad Hoc Centres. We train our social care staff, who volunteer to
help and provide a welfare function during an emergency, in the roles
and responsibilities required to ensure the public are properly
supported.
The majority of our Strategic Centres are secondary schools, as these
have the capacity to support approx 300 evacuees and supporting
volunteering staff and voluntary agency workers.
As a rule of thumb, but not written in stone, the District Council will
support up to approx 30 evacuees, and will strive to find temporary
accommodation for the duration, however, many people prefer to stay with
family and friends or to make their own arrangements in these
circumstances.
The County Council will automatically open a Strategic Centre if the
numbers of evacuees are likely to exceed this, if an incident is likely
to be protracted, or if a District is unable to manage due to
extenuating circumstances. We support people in these centres and
provide shelter, warmth and refreshments in the initial stages and then
bring in additional assistance and services, as required.
I assure you, it does not sound silly at all that your wife would not
wish to evacuate her home without her much loved pets. She is certainly
not alone in this and we do, of course, understand the need for pet
owners to know that their pets will be safe. I can reassure you that
pets are considered in the planning process and would not be left behind
during an evacuation.
We obviously have to consider the fact that some evacuees may suffer
from asthma/have allergies to fur and feathers, also in schools we are
not allowed to have pets inside the buildings because of the
environmental health issues. However, we ensure that there is hard
standing close to the building that can be appropriately cleansed, where
dogs can be safely tethered for a short period of time. The RSPCA, if
available, or District Councils are then asked to make arrangements for
the temporary accommodation of pets in appropriate kennels or animal
facilities if an evacuation is to be overnight or prolonged. They are
also able to obtain cages and animal boxes for smaller pets when owners
do not have their own. On site, owners remain responsible for walking
and feeding their dogs, and the Council will provide their food.
I should add, that some sites (that are not schools) may allow pets
inside their building but we would normally ask pet owners to keep them
away from the the general public because of the issues I have mentioned
above. Also, I am sure you will understand that if an excited animal
were to bite a child, for example, the Council would most probably be
held accountable.
So please don't worry, if you ever you need to evacuate your home (which
I sincerely hope you will not) you will be able to bring your 2 Rotties
with you, and we will do our best to look after their needs as well as
we do your own.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please do contact me
again and I will do my best to answer them.
