Be Prepared
Persons with Special Needs
NOAA Weather Radio
Disaster Planning for Your Pets
Be Prepared
Disaster can strike quickly and without warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood or confine you to your home. What would you do if basic services--water, gas, electricity or telephones--were cut off? City officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone right away. Therefore, the best way to make your family and your home safer is to be prepared before disaster strikes. Prepare a plan, build a family disaster kit with a minimum five days of supplies, and be alert for any type of emergency by listening to media broadcasts, and a weather alert radio.
Here are some links to assist you with the preparation of a family disaster plan:
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US Department of Homeland Security |
Florida Division of Emergency Management |
American Red Cross -
Southwest Florida Chapter |
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Here are some guides you may download to provide you with additional disaster preparedness information (these are large files):
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Persons with Special Needs Program
This is a shelter of last resort for those people that need more medical supervision than a general Red Cross shelter can provide and have special medical needs, but do not require hospitalization.
Should you have no other place to go, you must pre-register with Sarasota County Emergency Management. Find out now if you qualify before an emergency impacts our community. The shelter does not take reservations, so plan to arrive early once it has been determined that the shelter will be opened for a particular emergency situation. The PSN Registration Form is required to be completed and returned to:
PSN Registry 
Emergency Management
1660 Ringling Blvd., 6th floor
Sarasota, Florida 34236
(941) 861-5000
Once received, the form will be forwarded to the Sarasota County Health Department where the applications will be screened by a medical doctor for eligibility. You will be notified by mail if you qualify for admittance into the special needs shelter or not, and if there may be additional information required for individual determinations, a Health Department nurse will contact you directly. You will be contacted on an annual basis to update your information.
Should you have specific questions about the program or eligibility, click here, or call Sarasota County Emergency Management at (941) 861-5000.
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NOAA Weather Radio: On Alert For All Emergencies
Saving lives is the focus of NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards by providing immediate broadcasts of severe weather warnings and civil emergency messages and giving those in harm’s way critical lead time to respond and remain safe.
Broadcasts of tornado warnings, flood warnings, “Amber” Alerts for child abductions, chemical spill messages and many other notifications, in addition to routine weather observations and forecasts, make NOAA Weather Radio an essential item for every home, business and public area.
Sarasota County’s specific area message encoding (SAME) code is 012115, and Charlotte County’s SAME Code is 012015.
The National Weather Service radio channel should be set to: Channel 1 (which transmits from a tower in the Venice area).
Click here to listen to live streaming broadcasts from the National Weather Service for our area.
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Disaster Planning for Your Pets
Pets should not be left behind. Plan how you will care for your pets in an emergency. Leaving pets behind, even if you try to create a safe place for them, is likely to result in their being injured, lost or worse. So prepare now for the day when you and your pets may have to leave your home.
Disaster Preparedness Should Include Your Pets
Develop a Pet Disaster Plan for your pets. Whether you decide to stay at home, or go to family, friends, a hotel or a shelter, you will need a plan for your pets.
Before the Disaster
- Obtain Sarasota County Animal Services registration of your animal. This is the most effective method of identification, and it is required prior to admittance at a pet-friendly shelter.
Make sure your pet’s vaccinations are updated (have tags and/or proof of vaccination for shelter registration):
- Dogs: rabies vaccine, distemper, Parvo groups, Bordetella and Corona
- Cats: rabies vaccine, feline leukemia, Rhinotrachesitis, and Panleukopenia
- Assemble a support kit to accompany your pet:
- Id tag/rabies tag on the animal
- Id on all belongings
- Water and food bowls
- Wire crate (not plastic travel carrier)
- Food and medication for 14 days
- Cat litter/pan, extra litter and a litter scooper
- Written feeding and medications instructions
- Complete the Sarasota County Pet Friendly Shelter Agreement form in the event you evacuate to a Sarasota County Pet Friendly Shelter.
Have a Safe Place to Take Your Pets
Sarasota County has six Pet Friendly emergency shelters, three of which are in North Port.
- North Port High School, 6400 W. Price Boulevard, North Port, 34291
- Heron Creek Middle School, 6501 W. Price Boulevard, North Port, 34291
- Woodlands Middle School, 2700 Panacea Boulevard, North Port, 34289
- Click this icon to see which shelter is open:
- Before you go, review the Sarasota County Pet Friendly Shelter Brochure, and read their Pet Shelter Rules.
- Exotic pets or livestock will not be accepted. If you need to arrange for safe housing for exotic pets or livestock, contact your veterinarian or local kennels.
- At the shelter, you will register, collect all documentation and records, photograph your pet, and place it in one of the assigned locker rooms.
- The pet will remain in the crate at all times.
- Owners may not stay with their pets -- let must remain in the general portion of the shelter. Exception - walks outside by the owner will be permitted until high winds require the shelter to lock-down.
- A responsible owner will be responsible to feed/water/medicate the pet at the appropriate times.
- Pets will be released back to their owners on leaving the shelter.
- Contact hotels and motels outside your immediate area to check policies on accepting pets and restrictions on number, size, and species. It is important to make reservations early – space will be limited in the case of an emergency. Ask if the “no pet” policy may be waived in an emergency. You may view pet friendly shelter and lodging information at:
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Pre-arrange to board your pet at an animal hospital, veterinarian’s office, or boarding facility. Make sure the building will be able to withstand high winds, and utilities outage.
After a Disaster
- Walk pets on a leash until they become re-oriented to their home -- often familiar scents and landmarks may be altered and pets could easily be confused and become disoriented. Also, downed power lines, reptiles and fire ants brought in with high water, and debris may all pose a threat for animals, as well as humans after a disaster.
- Pets can become aggressive or defensive after a disaster -- monitor their behavior.
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