EUSTIS, Fla. — Ahead of hurricane season’s official start next month, local officials encouraged people to attend a free Hurricane Expo at the Lake County Fairgrounds on Saturday from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., to ensure their families – including any pets – are prepared.

At Saturday’s expo were firefighters with Lake County Fire Rescue, who spoke with guests and provided live rescue demonstrations. Vendors specializing in electrical generators, battery-powered radios and other emergency safety devices provided information for guests at their interactive booths.

“The best thing for residents to do, really, is to know their risk,” said Megan Milanese, Lake County's director of emergency management. “So, they need to understand that if they live in a mobile home, they may need to consider evacuating that mobile home, if we were to have a hurricane that was threatening the county.”

“Folks really need to build their kits to be appropriate for the unique needs of their family. So, keeping in mind things like medication or other mobility aids, extra batteries for certain medical devices, things like that, that you may want to consider putting in your kit for your unique needs,” Milanese said.

As for pets, Lake County Animal Services Director Whitney Boylston said they aren’t often what families first think of in their emergency hurricane plans.

“What we see, year after year, season after season, is a large number of pets become lost following the storm,” Boylston said. “We’re gonna recommend, no matter what kind of pet you have, to have them permanently identified with a microchip … so in the unfortunate event you are separated from your pet, we’re able to get you reunited with your family as quickly as possible.”

Free microchipping and vaccination services for eligible pets were available from the Lake County Animal Shelter. 

Vaccines for rabies and Da2PP (distemper/adenovirus/parvovirus/parainfluenza) were provided. All dogs had to be healthy and on a leash, and puppies at least 12 weeks old in order to receive services, according to county officials.

Ashley Turo and her family came to the Expo to get their beloved pitbull Kaine a microchip, along with some vaccines. 

“All in one shot, it was pretty simple,” Turo said after the experience; Kaine behaved well for veterinarians and didn’t try to resist during the vaccination process.

“I can tell you that Lake County is a very pet-friendly community; we love our animals,” Boylston said. “And we’re also really proactive in opening a lot of pet-friendly emergency shelters during disasters.”

The federal PETS, or Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act, requires counties to include the needs of households with pets and service animals in their emergency preparedness plans, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Typically, that requirement includes having emergency shelters available to accommodate pets.

Lawmakers passed the PETS Act in 2006, following Hurricane Katrina, when approximately 70,000 pets died during the storm, according to ALDF. But it does not cover all animals – including farmed animals like horses. 

Horses weren’t forgotten, though, at Saturday’s expo, where one booth run by the UF/IFAS Lake County Extension program, an intergovernmental partnership, covered safety tips to prepare horses ahead of a natural disaster. There are more than 385,000 horses in Florida, according to the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). 

Above all, thinking through yours and your pets’ emergency plans before hurricane season begins is critical, officials said. 

“Knowing that your pet is going to be able to be reunited with you is gonna give you a whole lot of peace of mind going through the hurricane season,” Boylston said.