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Sheltering & Evacuating
Sheltering
Emergency shelters will open and operate under the direction of emergency management and social services officials.Information will be broadcast advising citizens of what shelters will be open and what time they will be able to begin receiving evacuees.
Jacksonville Commons Middle School serves as a designated pet friendly shelter. If a citizen elects to use the pet friendly shelter they will not be able to drop off their pet and leave. Citizens are required to remain at the shelter with their pet. Citizens will need to bring appropriate and adequate supplies for their pet for the duration of their stay at the pet friendly shelter.
What to Know When Sheltering
Being prepared to stay in a shelter will help reduce stress and make the stay less uncomfortable. All Onslow County Shelter are housed inside school buildings. Below is basic information about our shelters:- A limited supply of military style cots will be available on a first come first serve basis.
- You should bring personal items to help make your stay more comfortable. Here is a checklist of What to Bring to A Shelter.
- The shelters will provide 3 meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Snacks and Coffee are not always available.
- You will be asked to register when you arrive at the shelter. You can come and go as you please but we ask that you let shelter staff know if you are leaving so that they can keep track of how many people they have staying with them.
- Please bring blankets, sheets or sleeping bags for bedding and warmth.
- Please remember you will be sharing tight quarters with a lot of people. Be courteous and kind. Minimize loud noise after 8pm. Bring earplugs if you wish to listen to a radio or computer.
Evacuating
Planning ahead will help you be prepared for any emergency that may occur. This is true whether you choose to leave your home or if you choose, or are asked, to "shelter-in-place" by local response agencies. In some instances, like a hurricane, you may have several days to get things ready but in some emergencies you may only have minutes.Always remember to follow the orders of the local emergency management officials.
The guidelines below will help with both an evacuation and a shelter-in-place situation.
- Listen to local media.
- Fill your car with gasoline. Take only one vehicle to lower the amount of traffic.
- Leave early enough to avoid being trapped by severe weather.
- Plan where your family will meet and go. Tell family or friends of your plans.
- Map out your path, using travel paths listed by police.
- If possible, leave and go to a friend’s home in a safe area. Next, try a motel or hotel. As a last resort, go to a shelter. Remember, shelters are not made for comfort.
- Take your family’s and pet’s emergency kits. Bring key family papers.
- Bring extra cash. Banks may be closed, and cash tellers may not work.
- Lock doors and windows before leaving your house. Unplug radios, toasters, televisions and small appliances. Be sure to turn off water, gas and power.
- Ask neighbors if they need a ride.
There may be times when it’s simply best to stay put to stay away from possible dangers outside. You may also need to stay put to keep you away from possibly dangerous air outside.
Use common sense. Information will be given so you can decide if you are in danger. If you see a lot of trash in the air, or if fire fighters and police say the air is badly tainted, you may want to take this kind of action.
The process used to seal the room (listed below) is thought to be a short-term protective way to make a barrier between you and possibly bad air outside. It is a type of sheltering in place that needs preplanning.
If fire fighters, police or other officials tell you to stay indoors, be sure to:
Use common sense. Information will be given so you can decide if you are in danger. If you see a lot of trash in the air, or if fire fighters and police say the air is badly tainted, you may want to take this kind of action.
The process used to seal the room (listed below) is thought to be a short-term protective way to make a barrier between you and possibly bad air outside. It is a type of sheltering in place that needs preplanning.
If fire fighters, police or other officials tell you to stay indoors, be sure to:
- Bring your family and pets inside.
- Lock doors, close windows, air vents and fireplace dampers.
- Turn off fans, air conditioning and forced air heating systems.
- Get your emergency supply kit unless you have reason to believe it has been dirtied or is unclean.
- Go into an inside room with few windows.
- Seal all windows, doors and air vents with 2-4 mil. thick plastic sheeting and duct tape.
- To save time, measure and cut the sheeting in advance. Cut the plastic sheeting many inches wider than the openings. Label each sheet.
- Duct tape plastic at corners first. Then tape down all edges.
- Be ready to wing it. Use what you have on hand to seal gaps so that you make a barrier between yourself and any contamination.
- Fire fighters and police may not instantly be able to give information on what is happening and what you should do.
- You should watch TV, listen to the radio or check the Internet often for official news and instructions as they become available.