WE
OPENED FOR HURRICANE CHARLEY IN 2004!
2006 Season Update - RED
FLAG WARNINGS due to extremely dry conditions may cause firestorms
and the 2006 HURRICANE SEASON Begins June 1st!
A Ministry born
of need - Almost 8 Yrs. Old!
The Pet Friendly Shelter of Sanlando
was established on July 3, 1998 and has now been
functional for over 7 years. Due to the generosity of church
and community neighbors we are well equipped to house evacuees
and their pets whenever Seminole County alerts us to open
our facility during declared disasters. Several of our volunteers
have been C.E.R.T. trained by the Lake Mary Fire Department,
as well as Seminole County.
We currently have enough supplies to house 100 guests with
approximately 70 pets (depending on animal size and weight).
In June of 2000 our PFS was designated by the Florida Conference
of the United Methodist Church Disaster Response Coordinator
as the training model for other United Methodist churches
through out the state of Florida.
We offer a safe haven for evacuees with pets during times
of need and are the only facility of its kind in Seminole
County. According to Seminole County's
Chief Meteorologist Captain Schenck 2006 may prove to be a
busy year, whether it be hurricanes or wild fires.
In the event of a declared state of emergency for Seminole
County, our PFS will be called into action by the Emergency
Operations Center located in Sanford. Athough we were blessed
with very mild hurricane seasons these past few years, should
the Seminole County E.O.C. request us to open for any emergency,
we would immediately need food and water for possible evacuees.
Please check our site often for any changes or call 407.571.2100
during any declared emergency event.
We are always grateful for any monetary donations; if you
want to donate towards our ministry checks can be made payable
to:
S.U.M.C.
1939 Boothe Circle
Longwood, FL 32750
Designated Account #25525-Evacuation Center
Updated 4/01/06
 "The
combination of our community reaching out to help others and
our church spirit, truly was overwhelming. It was as if we
had a re-birth at Sanlando"
 The
Sanlando Pet Friendly Shelter was established on July 3, 1998
and authorized by the Seminole County Emergency Operations
Center. It is the only "pet-friendly" shelter in
the county and will be called into action for any future county
declared emergencies. Because of the new ministry structure
being used by Sanlando United Methodist Church, we were able
to see a need during the summer of '98 Florida wild fires
and fill that need in less than 8 hours. One of our previous
Emergency Response Team Leaders, so clearly acknowledged,
"God wants our shelter…as a ministry...To me the
message from God was very clear: "Be the shelter that
I want…"
 With
the assistance of the Department of Animal Control and various
pet groups like the Seminole Dog Fanciers, as well as local
businesses, Sanlando was able to get supplied with pet carriers,
food and all the necessary items for the evacuees from Flagler
county and their pets.
This has become an on going ministry within the Missions-Service
area of Sanlando and we are actively seeking funding through
grant applications for possible future needs. As we continue
to develop our Pet Friendly Shelter, please let us know if
you would like to help. Areas of need include: volunteers
for future emergencies, experience and/or knowledge in grant
application procedures, or fund raising for our Evacuation
Center.
OPERATION CHARLEY:
PFS housed 66 guests and 56 pets as we were in the eye of
the storm!
For more information e-mail Debi
Douglas or call her at 407-571-2100 ext 104.
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