Pierce County Animal Response Team (PCART)

PCART started here in Lakewood in 2007, right after the big windstorm and power outages of December 2006. Red Cross came out to Lakewood’s City Hall and had sheltering training for anyone that was interested in volunteering for Lakewood’s sheltering program which would include handicapped citizens. At the next planning meeting, someone said, “What about pets?” and we started having separate meetings (although some continued going to both meetings – people and animals). Many organizations were instrumental in helping us get organized and trained, including the City of Lakewood (which hosted many of our early meetings), the Humane Society in Tacoma (which hosted later meetings). Animal control officers from many towns all over Pierce County (including Lakewood), and many more.

Mary Dodsworth of Lakewood’s Parks and Recreation Dept. and Emergency Planning was instrumental in getting our group off the ground by organizing our meetings the first year. Without her, PCART would not have appeared until much later, if at all. So, here we are 5 years later with a trailer full of supplies (thanks to a grant), training for new volunteers once or twice a year, as well as regular training at meetings to keep us on our toes, ready to be deployed. We are fine-tuning our manual/handbook at each meeting. We are full members of the Citizen Corps Council of Pierce County which is a 501(c) 3, which means we can take donations for pet food and other needs in emergencies.

Pets need you to prepare for them. If you evacuate to a shelter, take cats, birds, reptiles and pocket pets in a carrier or small cage. Small dogs can be taken in a carrier; larger ones will need a leash and possibly a muzzle if you are not sure how they will react to strangers. We have crates to put them in at the shelter. We have forms to fill out to make sure they are cared for properly and are returned to the proper person. Please make copies of vet or shot records and put them in a Ziploc bag with a photo of you with your pet. If they need medication, bring it with you. If they need a special toy or pillow to sleep with, bring that too
We set up a shelter in Orting in January 2009 and had several dogs there. At the end of 2008 we had a shelter set up and a young man showed up with a tarantula. One of our volunteers took the tarantula home with her so it could stay warm (and not freak out the other volunteers at the shelter).

Please come to City Hall next Saturday, May 19th to celebrate with us and honor our volunteers. We will have coffee, donuts from Lakewood’s Donut Shop on Gravelly Lake (Thanks Dan!), fruit and a Happy 5th Birthday cake for us. Learn more about emergency preparedness and organizations that help in emergencies and are free to join. Applications will be available if you want to volunteer. All you CERT (Community emergency Response Teams) members are welcome.
*We have door prizes (swag, freebies) and some donated items that will be raffled off for free, get your tickets when you arrive. Meet fellow pet lovers and make new friends. Stop by 10 to 10:30 am even if you can’t stay until noon. Don’t miss this party!

May 6-12 is Arson Awareness Week

FEMA Dollars Begin Flow Into Washington Disaster

Release Date: May 1, 2012
Release Number: 4056-006

» More Information on Washington Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides

LACEY WA (May 1, 2012) - When the severe winter storms dubbed ‘Snowmageddon’ hit Washington State in January of this year, airports, roads and schools closed, cars crashed, and trees and tons of debris blocked roads and knocked out power to more than 275,000 customers across the state.

Governor Christine Gregoire’s request for disaster funding after the storm estimated damage at more than $32 million.

As of today, more than $354,800 has been approved for 21 of some 800 recovery projects.  FEMA will pay 75 percent of that, nearly $266,000 in Public Assistance (PA) disaster relief dollars; the State and local governments will match 25 percent.

Reimbursement dollars have begun flowing.

“Without a doubt, having these dollars begin flowing into these disaster-struck communities will help them with budget shortfalls,” said Kurt Hardin, Washington Emergency Management Division’s state coordinating officer. “The massive January disaster response hit these already strapped local governments hard.”

Following the March 5, 2012 Presidential disaster declaration, the State Emergency Management Division (EMD) and FEMA began processing public assistance applications throughout the 11 disaster declared counties. Projects in Seattle, Lacey, Renton, the Shelton School District, the Cedar River Water and Sewer District, as well as others, were among the first applicants to be approved.

“Our primary goal is to get to ‘yes’ on projects so we can help these Washington communities recover as quickly as possible,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Mike Karl at FEMA’s Lacey-based field office. “This initial funding approval is the first of many to come.”

Eligible counties include Clallam, Grays Harbor, King, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Pierce, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston, and Wahkiakum. FEMA will pay 75 percent of the eligible costs for debris removal, emergency protective measures, repairing or replacing damaged public facilities, such as roads, bridges, utilities, buildings, schools, recreational areas, and similar publicly owned facilities.

Under the PA program, the state is able to forward federal funds to eligible state, local and tribal governments as well as certain private non-profit organizations providing essential community services that incurred disaster-related costs.

links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.