#storm response

^^^ Got this message from the City of New York Sunday evening.

People who live in areas which get little or no snow may not be aware of the political importance of dealing with snow emergencies.

When a surprise snowstorm hit NYC in February of 1969 the city was woefully unprepared. Close to 40% of the city's snow removal equipment was out of service. It took days to get even main streets dug out. Food had to be delivered to some people by helicopter. The mayor at the time was a patrician liberal Republican (an extinct species) named John Lindsay.

Lindsay was up for re-election that year. His botched handling of snow removal caused him to lose the Republican primary. He still had the endorsement of the now defunct NY Liberal Party. Lindsay managed to eke out a win in the general election in a divided field with just 42.4% of the vote. Some people in NYC still refer to it as the "Mayor Lindsay snowstorm".

In 1979, Mayor Michael Bilandic of Chicago did not fare as well. In January Chicago was hit by its biggest blizzard since 1967. Bilandic's response was totally incompetent. He lost the February Democratic primary to insurgent Jane Byrne who went on to become mayor. Most of Chicago's current snow related traffic and parking regulations date back to reforms during the Byrne administration.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani responded reasonably well to an earlier storm this winter. But this one is even worse.

'Epic' blizzard paralyzes NYC, NJ area with over foot of snow, transit disruptions, school closures

Everyone is wondering how places with exotic animals are planning to weather Irma. I’ve tried to create as comprehensive a list here as I can of facilities that have made public statements regarding preparing for the impending hurricane. If you know of a facility that has made a public statement that is not on this list, please message me so it can be added. 

General hurricane preparations that all facilities permanently housing exotic animals will do involve: boarding up and reinforcing windows; removing anything that could potentially picked up by wind (or tying down anything that cannot be moved elsewhere); moving animals in low-lying areas or less physically robust exhibits to other holdings on site; reinforcing and preparing indoor exhibit spaces or lock-downs animals will be inhabiting during the storm; stocking up on food, water and generator fuel; reviewing and implementing inclement weather and animal safety protocols; and preparing spaces for human ride-out teams to live on site during the storm.  

It’s very rare that a facility with exotic animals will choose to evacuate during the time leading up to a major disaster - it generally only happens when it is clear the site will risk sustaining such intense damage that the safety of the animals cannot be guaranteed. Moving exotic animals off-site is complex and can be dangerous for both animals and people when rushed, and requires that there is somewhere on the other end with appropriate enclosure space and husbandry knowledge to house them. Most facilities choose instead to shelter their animals in place, either in their normal enclosure areas (most of which are designed to double as safe shelter during inclement weather) or in other reinforced buildings on-site. 

Amazing Animals Inc. is sheltering in place. It appears from Facebook posts that all of their animals have been crated and moved indoors. 

Big Cat Rescue is sheltering in place. All big cats will be shut into outdoor roofed metal lockouts adjacent to their normal enclosures. Animals in the hospital will be brought into the concrete staff building. 

Brevard Zoo is sheltering in place. 

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary is sheltering in place. They will be closed to the public for the duration of the storm but will still be accepting sick or injured animals. 

Butterfly World has not made an official statement, but their Facebook page indicates they are sheltering in place. Photos show staff catching up butterflies from larger areas and housing them in small, portable mesh containers.

Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary is sheltering in place. 

Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens is sheltering in place. Small mammals and birds will be in kennels in secure buildings, larger animals will be locked into secure night houses. The ride-out team on-site will include keepers, facilities staff, the zoo vet, and the zoo director. 

Center for Great Apes is sheltering in place. All animals will be locked into night houses for the duration of the storm, and the sixteen staff members comprising the ride-out team will be staying in those night houses with the animals to feed and care for them.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium is sheltering in place after a week of site preparations. A ride-out team will be on site during the storm to care for the facility and the animals. 

Dolphin Connection has evacuated their dolphins to Seaworld Orlando.

Dolphins Plus, Inc. is sheltering in place. Staff will remain on site to care for animals during the storm. 

Dolphin Research Center is sheltering in place. Dolphins have been equipped with bright orange bands (positioned at the base of the tail) so they can easily be ID’ed if they get swept out to sea. DRC prefers this method to reinforcing their exhibits because they want their animals to be able to head for deeper water if there is so much debris being thrown around that their containment is breached. Dolphins are trained to respond to sonic transmitters for a recall, which DRC will use to collect their animals once it is safe for them to return to the site. 

Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge is waiting and watching the storm path. As of the evening of 9/9, they had a plan in place for a partial and total evacuation if needed. 

Flamingo Gardens appears to be sheltering in place. Their Facebook posts indicate that their bears and flamingos are locked down in concrete buildings.

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is sheltering in place. Animals will spend the storm in their secure night houses. State-of-the-art video monitoring equipment will allow keepers to monitor them. A dedicated group of employees comprising the ride-out team will stay at the Zoo Sunday night to ensure animal safety.

Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary is sheltering in place. No full plan has been posted, but they appear to be moving as many primates as possible into the staff buildings in cages. Staff will be camping out in the ranch house on site during the storm. 

Gatorland Orlando is sheltering in place. Gators will ride out the storm in their outside pools, while all other animals have been moved inside. 

Lion Country Safari is sheltering in place. Lions, rhinos, chimpanzees and other dangerous animals will be placed in their night houses, while hoof stock will be free to roam in their normal enclosures. Reptiles, birds and primates will all be placed in inside enclosures.

Loggerhead Marinelife Center has evacuated 50+ sea turtles to the Georgia Aquarium. 

Lubee Bat Conservancy is sheltering in place and has moved all their bats into a storm safety building. 

Monkey Jungle is sheltering in place. Their small primate population will stay in their normal enclosure, while their gorilla and orangutan will be locked into heavily fortified indoor areas. They’ve brought in a generator to keep the exterior fence electrified and have contractors on standby in case of damage to animal areas. 

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is sheltering in place. 

Mystic Jungle Educational Facility Inc. is sheltering in place. Small animals and lesser cats will all be secured in an indoor facility. 

Palm Beach Zoo is sheltering in place. An 11-person ride-out team will be on grounds, including veterinary and keeper staff. All animals have been moved to hurricane shelters through the zoo. 

Panther Ridge Conservation Center is planning to shelter in place, with potential for a need to evacuate. 

Rare Species Conservatory Foundation is sheltering in place and may have evacuated some animals. As the site cannot be completely evacuated, all birds and primates have been crated/caged and will be riding out the storm in 9-ton decommissioned shipping containers on site. 

Sarasota Jungle Gardens appears to be sheltering in place. 

Save the Chimps is sheltering in place. They have locked all their chimpanzees indoors and have a ride-out crew remaining on site even as the storm trends away from their location. 

Seaworld Orland is sheltering in place. Several trainers will remain on site with the ride-out team during the storm. The whales and dolphins will have access to a large number of pools of different depths during the storm. Any animals that can be brought inside will be. Manatees have been moved to a different, more sheltered pool. They have taken in five dolphins from Dolphin Connection for the duration of the storm. 

Shy Wolf Sanctuary is sheltering in place. They are not in the expected storm surge zone and will be doing regular walk-throughs to check on residents and fencing. 

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park is sheltering in place. Gators will stay in their pools, and it appears from Facebook posts that all other animals have been moved inside. 

Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo is sheltering in place. A team of 12 employees comprise their ride-out crew, and they’ve laid in 2 weeks worth of animal food and fuel. They are not worried about flooding, but have pumps on site just in case. Large animals will be locked into concrete night houses and all birds will be brought inside during the storm. 

Theater of the Sea is sheltering in place. 

The Talkin’ Monkeys Project is sheltering in place. All primates, canids and cats will be locked inside. 

New Post has been published on http://untci.org/untci-storms-recovery-and-response-report-for-the-2017-season/

UNTCI Storms Recovery and Response Report for the 2017 Season

October 10, 2017 (Home Office)

UNTCI Ministries were greatly affected here in the U.S. and Territories by the storms of the 2017 season (Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate).

As soon as Harvey was scheduled to make landfall, we started to prepare for the eventual response by our Fellowship and tried to anticipate the needs. An email was sent to all of our registered members in Texas notifying them that we were ready to help and asking them to keep us informed of their own situation and needs as best they could. Prior to Landfall we had identified sources for bulk purchase of both food and water should any of our ministries want/need a source outside of the expected impacted areas.

After landfall and as soon as the seriousness of the situation was registering, we established contact with two church centers, each in severely impacted wards of the city where needs would be greatest and mapped out routes to them around the flooded areas to assist our volunteers in getting to these areas that would be established as initial “rally points” and distribution centers. We then announced through our various social media outlets that we were ready to assist those who were ready to respond with a dedicated line to communicate with “home office”.

Additionally, the call to help financially went out to the Fellowship, and all were asked to “share” the call across their own social media pages and networks to assist us in raising funds to help wherever necessary. All of this effort was held over and in place (or repeated) as another storm came ashore in Florida creating even more need for resources as that storm made it’s way up the interior of the state and then another in Puerto Rico.

There remains a great need as the clean up and full recovery will take years. We have heard from a majority of our members that were/are in these areas but still are praying to hear from a few more.

So, this is what we have done to date in the recovery efforts from UNTCI…

Over the fund raising campaign through the month of September (all receipts were directed to storms fund), UNTCI raised $765.00

A group of Combat Veterans from the Gypsy Motorcycle Club were gathered together, and equipped to stay for an extended period of time by friend of the ministry, John Gersna. They took with them equipment, food, water, and necessary supplies to St. John’s Mission Church in the 3rd Ward of Houston.

We still have some earth moving and light excavation equipment along with chain saws and equipment ready to go into the area to help with the remaining cleanup if any of the Fellowship would like to volunteer as a member of the UNTCI Recovery Ministry.

After the rescue response, and the recovery efforts began in Houston, we were contacted by Ann Parsons-Newman, an Elementary Teacher at Spring Shadows Elementary School and friend of the ministry asking for help for the children in order to help them recover some “normalcy”.

Here is an excerpt from her letter:

Spring Shadows Elementary is a Title 1 school in Houston with 90% of the 730 children living in poverty. Luckily just a handful of students were flooded out of their homes. The major effect of Hurricane Harvey was that children’s parents are living from day to day with their expenses. When Harvey hit the city shut down and the parents couldn’t work. Our school is ensuring the children are getting meals. One of the school’s fund raiser to get furniture, books etc is from a book fair. The school will have a book fair in October and the children’s families do not have the money to buy books for the children. Spring Shadows is asking for volunteers to adopt a class of 20 to get a $5 book from the book fair which would equal $100. The children then will have a thrill of a new book and 50% of the profit can go to school to buy items needed. Last year we were able to get colorful furniture for a reading circle.

UNTCI Sponsored the class and bought each student a book from the “Book Fair”.

UNTCI plans on future gifts of books to these children for each “Book Fair” event in the future… the next one is coming for Christmas Break.

Florida was also impacted greatly and many of our ministers and ministries are there. A great deal of damage was done along the coast in the Titusville area where a longtime member of the ministry, Rev. Heather Heineman both lives and conducts her children’s ministry. She and her family found themselves as a result of losing the roof to their home, homeless with almost all of their possessions destroyed.

UNTCI sent her the remaining of the funds, in order that they could move in right away to a rental that was available and begin the recovery process.

There is still much to do Brothers and Sister!

We still haven’t heard from our Brethren in Puerto Rico, however, we know that their needs probably look closer to the impossible given all the information about the damage. But we know that nothing is impossible for the God that we serve.

There are many more that are in need that we haven’t heard about yet, and in ways that the large institutions have no “category” for. Let us be ready to help those who call, when they call. Here, even now here in America, there is opportunity after opportunity to shine the Light of Christ into the darkness that is surrounding them. An opportunity for them to know who Christ is in us.

Please continue to give to this end. That we may bless beyond the norm, and do more for Him and His as He has given us more and more opportunity to do so.

New Post has been published on http://untci.org/storms-recovery-untci-giving/

Storm(s) Recovery, UNTCI & Giving

September 18, 2017 Elkmont, Alabama (Home Office)

With Harvey and Irma now fading quickly from the majority’s collective memory, I feel it necessary at this point Brothers and Sisters to remind you that we have our own fellow ministries and ministers that were caught in the paths of destruction. I find it necessary also at this point Brothers and Sisters, to remind this Fellowship that we (UNTCI) can move and reach only as far as you are willing to take us.

Should those among us who have been stricken, not have hope in us who are their Brethren?

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5) NKJV

Don’t WE as their Brothers and Sisters in Christ have an obligation to them? If not us, then who!?

“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 John 3:16) NKJV

The United New Testament Church, International is a world wide ministry with ministers and ministries like you and yours on most every continent. We should therefore be a “world reaching” ministry, capable of responding to the needs of recovery and outreach through and for at the least, our own ministries. In order for this to happen, we must first come together as the Ecclesia that Christ intended us to be and pour into our purpose (give). Then, we can pour out upon those in need, the means of Grace necessary for the world to see and know who we are in Christ and Who Christ is in the world.

We have Churches with an Outreach Ministry completely destroyed in the Virgin Islands with UNTCI Ministers left with nothing.

We have a Youth Services and Outreach Minister that has lost her entire home leaving her family of 5 with no where to live in Florida, yet she is seeking “normalcy” in returning to the ministry “for the needs of the children”.

We have Street Ministries in the Greater Houston area that have been literally “Washed Away” yet those UNTCI ministers continue to minister as they attempt to find ways to administer help and assistance.

We pride ourselves in being independent and “unattached” to the mainline “baggage” that gets in the way all too often. But that Brothers and Sisters puts us in peril of being isolated in our ministries. The point of this ministry is to ensure against that in the promise to “step in” and “come along side” not only when necessary, but as part of our worshipful work and commitment to the ministry whole. It is in that very “Christian” way that Jesus himself established in the sending of His disciples, we are connected each to the other through this Fellowship of Christ; at the very least “two by two”!

Before we knew the full toll these storms, we knew there would be great need! We established a campaign almost immediately for all of us to “pour out our love” collectively upon those in need as response to Harvey. The campaign was extended for Irma response as well. Dear Brothers and Sisters, the response thus far leaves me having to ask again.

Let me therefore say this gently to every Brother and Sister, all over the world, “Your Fellow Ministers here in your midst are in desperate need of help.” “You must respond!”

Further, Brothers and Sisters your Ministry here remains in need, not only to better prepare for future responses, but simply to maintain the programs current and participate in opportunities to Serve Christ and Spread the Gospel through more ministries around the world and home.

Let UNTCI be known for the Love that is in our hearts, by the way we pour out that love upon the world!

GIVE NOW @ www.untci.org/giving-center

New Post has been published on http://untci.org/florida-ministrys-storm-prep-response/

Florida Ministry's Storm Prep / Response

Email Servers were down this morning 9/7/2017, when this email was Authored and intended to be sent to our Ministers in Florida:

On behalf of the Staff at Home Office and the rest of the UNTCI Fellowship, I want all of you in Florida to know that you are covered in prayer. As our thoughts and preparations now turned toward you, we stand ready to do what we can for you and your Ministries whether the need be for recovery or assisting others in recovery.

We can help with logistics, material/supply collection, or we have a response team with heavy equipment and chainsaws. They are currently in Texas, but can be retasked as necessary.

Please keep us informed as to your safety and situation as things progress and share with us what your needs are, or response will be in the afterstorm cleanup and recovery.

The Lord Bless you and Keep you,

Rev. Dr. C. Joseph Fifer, President

256-262-3052 UNTCI Office

419-906-5350 UNTCI Mobile

…please share this and your own prayers with those in Florida and all those across the path of Irma.

New Post has been published on http://untci.org/responding-to-harvey-in-texas/

Responding to "Harvey" in Texas

August 28, 2017

We are “gearing up” with organized response to help the people in the Houston Area. Several of our Ministries are committed to go with food, supplies, and equipment. UNTCI has 25 ministries in Texas, 3 of which are within the damaged areas. Home Office will be assisting in the organized response with financial assistance from the fellowship, coordination of movements into the area, and logistics. All “one time donations” given through the GIVING CENTER will go to storm relief efforts during this time of reaction and recovery. www.untci.org/giving-center

Anyone with equipment, supplies, and/or volunteers intended for the Houston Area can contact “Home Office” for POC information, route information, and area requirements / needs updates…