PREPPING THE PETS

Your pets rely on you and the decisions you make. Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which ravaged New Orleans, revealed the folly of trying to separate humans from their animals. Many people and pets lost their lives.

Now, however, there’s legislation in place mandating space for animals at shelters. There is never a reason to leave behind domesticated animals when leaving your home during times of a hurricane. Here’s how to keep your pet safe in the event of a hurricane.

Before The Storm

• Microchip your pet , plus have your pet wear a collar with an ID and a rabies tag. Carry photos of your pet to aid in the event they go missing.

• Consider a harness or leash for your cat . Allow time to get them used to wearing the harness before a storm approaches. Get a harness especially for cats that can wriggle out of anything else. It could prevent a stressedout, thunder-shy kitty from darting away to hide.

• Have an evacuation pack for your pet . It should include food and water for two to four weeks. Keep dry food sealed in waterproof containers and pack bowls of food and water as well as a can opener if necessary. Also, pack kitty litter and trays and bring bags to clean up after your pet.

DURING THE STORM… IF YOU CANNOT EVACUATE

• Choose a safe room for riding out the storm. Consider a room located toward the interior of the house and a place without windows.

• If you can , stay with the pet to provide comfort. If crated, ensure they have adequate water and food.

• Keep an emergency kit in the room . The kit should include food, water, litter and any medications.

• Know where your pet likes to run and hide.

• Secure exits to prevent the pet from darting outside.

• Remember, all Keys shelters are pet-friendly destinations. The shelters are located at Key West High School, Sugarloaf School, Marathon High School and Coral Shores High School.

AFTER THE STORM

• Ensure the storm has fully passed , no wires are down and there’s no major flooding before letting a pet out.

• Give your pets time to get reoriented if they haven’t been outside for several days.

• Keep pets away from downed power lines.

• To provide continuous comfort after a storm, find a safe and quiet environment, even if it’s not their home.

By Keys Weekly staff

REENTRY STICKERS GET YOU IN AFTER THE STORM VISIT TAX COLLECTOR’S OFFICE FOR YOUR TAG

When a storm forces Keys residents to leave, reentry into the island chain — when it’s deemed safe and there are enough services — must be carried out in an orderly, staged manner.

Enter the resident reentry sticker.

The colored badge, which goes on the lower corner of the driver side’s windshield, denotes where a Monroe County resident lives, all while letting sheriff’s deputies manning checkpoints know that you’re legit and have a reason to come back. These stickers can be obtained by local residents at the Monroe County Tax Collector’s office.

When you go to obtain your sticker, bring proof of residency, such as a Florida driver’s license and vehicle registration. Out-of-county residents who have a home in the Keys can show a property tax bill to get a sticker for their vehicle.

When the Florida Keys are in the cone of a major hurricane, the last thing anyone wants to do is worry about the reentry decal system for your car. After all, those last few moments are spent bringing all the lawn furniture inside, buying clips for your storm shutters and extra food and water for your furry friends.

Shannon Weiner, county emergency management director, encourages residents to obtain a reentry sticker before a hurricane threatens the area — as hurricane season begins June 1. Stickers will not be available once a state of emergency is declared in Monroe County, which occurs several days before a storm is forecast to strike.

“The whole gist of the sticker is get people into the county faster and keep traffic moving into the Keys,” Weiner said.

Monroe County Sheriff’s Office substations are no longer distributing hurricane reentry vehicle stickers. The Monroe County Tax Collector’s office is responsible for providing reentry decals. Per Monroe County Emergency Management: Residents may obtain one

2023 hurricane season reentrystickersare availableatyourlocal tax collector’s office.

Residents from Ocean Reef to Stock Island: Stickers are available at the Monroe County Tax Collector’s office locations from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.

TAX COLLECTOR LOCATIONS:

Key West - 1200 Truman Ave., Ste 101, or the DMV at 3304 N. Roosevelt Blvd. Marathon - 3015 O/S Hwy.

Big Pine Key – 247 Key Deer Blvd. (Tuesday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

Plantation Key sticker for each registered vehicle by providing proof of residency at a Monroe County Tax Collector’s office.

88800 O/S Hwy.

Key Largo - 101487 O/S Hwy.

Those who don’t have a reentry sticker and want to reenter the Keys, be sure to have supporting documentation with you to show you’re a Keys resident. It can be a utility bill, tax bill, etc.

Stickers are barcoded and color-coded for zone-by-zone reentry. Stickers for Lower Keys residents from the south end of the Seven Mile Bridge to Stock Island (MM 40 to MM 4) are dark pink, while Middle Keys residents from the south end of the Long Key Bridge to the north end of the Seven Mile Bridge (MM 64 to MM 47) get aqua stickers. Upper Keys residents from the county line, including Ocean Reef, to the north end of the Long Key Bridge, (MM 113 to MM 64) will have a purple decal. The City of Key West requires its own sticker, which is white and has not changed.

Once you obtain the sticker, go ahead and put it on the lower driver side windshield of the vehicle it’s registered to. The sticker can’t be reused for reentry with another vehicle.

For those wondering when they’ll be able to return to the Keys, emergency management officials encourage people to sign up for the Alert! Monroe system. It enables people to receive emergency alerts and information via text messages, phone calls or emails. Sign up at www.monroecountyem.com/alertmonroe.

For more information, including the tax collector locations to get your reentry sticker, go to www.monroecounty-fl.gov/916/ReentryVehicle-Windshield-Stickers.

By Keys Weekly staff

In meeting the special needs of residents with physical and mental challenges during evacuations and sheltering, Florida law requires each local emergency management agency in the state to maintain a registry of disabled persons in that agency’s jurisdiction.

“Our special-needs residents will be screened, transported, sheltered and cared for under the same precautions as the general population,” said Shannon Weiner, Monroe County Emergency Management director.

With Monroe County’s system, Everbridge, registrants will be notified by telephone, text, email or smartphone of a pending evacuation and be given specific instructions to follow when evacuating to the Special Needs Shelter. Officials will make every attempt to reach out via the methods the registrant prescribes when he or she registers.