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Shelters will be managed by the ARC, and staffed by the Cabarrus County Department of Human Services and ARC. The Cabarrus Health Alliance assists as necessary to coordinate external medical resources to meet client needs and assist in the coordination of functional needs services. The Cabarrus Health Alliance and ARC have developed relationships with service providers that can provide appropriate levels of care for shelter residents whose needs may exceed the capabilities of a local shelter. No formal agreements with these providers are in place at this time. It is possible that staffing resources may be quickly overwhelmed in a large -scale disaster event. Supplemental staffing resources may be available through home health care, independent living centers, acute medical care centers, and similar medical service providers. Staffing resources will be requested via established processes through the Cabarrus County Emergency Management to NCDEM. No individuals seeking shelter will be denied access. Individuals arriving at the shelter without a caregiver will be accepted and supporting agencies will work to locate a caregiver through available staff and resources. Service animals will also be permitted to enter the shelter with their owner. Minor modifications may be made to the dormitory area of the shelter as needed to meet the needs of shelter residents and limit the potential for separation from the general population (for example, low lighting at night to allow easy access to restrooms, allocating an area for service animals to limit the impacts on those with allergies). 9. County Pet Shelter Considerations Cabarrus County Animal Control is responsible for County pet shelter operations. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines household pets as a domesticated pet (such as a dog, cat, bird, rabbit, rodent, or turtle) that is traditionally kept in the home for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes and can travel in commercial carriers and be housed in temporary facilities. Household pets do not include reptiles (with the exception of turtles), amphibians, fish, insects /arachnids, farm animals (including horses), and animals kept for racing purposes. Animal Control plans to accept all pets that can be accommodated or make arrangements as needed for larger animals (for example, cattle, horses) as available. Service animals will be permitted to remain with their owner in the shelter. FEMA defines a service animal as any animal that is individually trained to provide assistance to a person with a disability. In an ideal situation, pet sheltering will be able to co- locate with human sheltering. This would allow owners to remain with their animals and provide necessary feeding and waste disposal, easing the strain on Animal Control staffing resources. At this time, it is undetermined as to whether or not shelter facility owners will permit the co- location of Cabarrus County EOP — Annex L — Shelter and Mass Care F -6 Attachment number 12 Page 276