As you may remember if you were here
during Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, all of Battery Park City is located in what NYC has designated as
Evacuation Zone 1, which has a high probability of being subject to a mandatory evacuation order if a
hurricane or similar storm ventures too close to NYC. Neighboring areas are in Zones 2, 3 and 4, which
are less likely to be evacuated. If you have doubts regarding which zone you live in, check out
the zone finder on the NYC OEM website.
The NYC OEM website had several useful guides available on-line, providing guidance for how
to deal with a hurricane. The OEM guide for evacuating with pets is attached.
The animal rescue organization, RedRover, also has useful Pet Disaster Preparation tips on its website.
If an evacuation order is issued,
Zone 1 residents will need to find shelter in a non-evacuation zone, so you should be making plans
ahead of any evacuation order. Please be aware that public transportation
may be shut down by the time an evacuation order is issued, which would make it difficult to evacuate
very far if you wait until the last minute.
The BPC Dogs email server is located in Gateway Plaza, so we may lose email connectivity
during a storm.
It is imperative that if you are told to evacuate with your pets, that you do so immediately. A
shelter is a last resort since you would be separated from your pets. If you
have no other choice, the ASPCA Disaster Response Training Manual for
Volunteers states that you will need the following for each pet you bring to a
shelter:
- Proof of current rabies vaccine, such as a tag or medical record.
- Leash and collar - all animals must have collars and ID tags; dogs must have appropriate
leashes and cats and other animals must be in a carrier.
- Appropriate crate or carrier - Every animal will be housed in a crate while at the shelter.
If you show up without a crate or carrier and there is still time to buy one, you will be asked
to leave and find a suitable container prior to admittance. No pet owner will be turned away if
the threat of danger is imminent.
- Food, water, medications - each pet owner is asked to bring food and water for several days
for each pet as well as any medications. The food will be kept in the animal area and the owner
will be asked to feed their pet during designated visiting hours.
- Muzzle for dogs, if necessary - Owners will be asked to muzzle their dogs for the safety of
volunteers and other shelter residents.
- Pictures - It's always a good idea to keep a current picture of your pet in case you are
separated from him/her.
- ID Collars - At intake, each pet will be tagged with an ID collar that will be placed
around its neck, which will have the intake number, last name, sex and breed on the collar.
The owner will have a corresponding ID band to wear around his/her wrist. This will be the
only way an owner will be given access to the pet area in the hurricane shelter. This is to
prove ownership and prevent theft and loss of pets.
No one wants to be separated from their pet in a disaster, so when told to evacuate with your pets
ahead of the storm, please do so, and try to find a place with friends, relatives or at a
pet-friendly hotel. A shelter is a highly stressful place for both humans and pets.
If you require a list of pet-friendly hotels in the
NY/NJ area, please email us.
If you have any
questions, please check out the OEM
and National Hurricane Center
websites and listen to all weather reports for updated information.
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