Pet Safe Coalition is looking forward to returning to its roots when it presents a hurricane preparedness program at the Locust Valley Library September 6 at 7 p.m. Although Pet Safe incorporated as an independent non-profit organization one month before Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, we have chosen September to mark the occasion to highlight the fact that it is Hurricane Preparedness Month.

Pet Safe has been tapped by New York State Agriculture officials as Nassau County's official Disaster Animal Response Team. Pet Safe is also a Homeland Security Coalition Partner. And this year alone, Pet Safe has made more than 60 presentations to thousands of Long Island residents. Pet Safe was conceived when Hurricane Floyd's floods forced evacuations on Morgan's Island near Glen Cove in 1999. As you recall, some residents refused to leave because no refuge was available for their pets.

Why should that concern you if you don't have animals? Think about this:

Animals roaming at large in the aftermath of a disaster may hinder rescue and reconstruction efforts. That, in turn, can have an impact on neighborhood businesses, affecting the local economy, property values, and the tax base. It can raise health issues. And attempts at local self-help can call into question legal issues. The very fabric of the community can be affected by a gap in services for such a large segment of the community.

Pet Safe has a unique dual purpose to safeguard the lives of both people and pets as well as to provide preparedness information while developing back-up support for those whose own preparedness plans fall through. We demonstrated the Pet Safe plan in action on April 15 when the nor'easter caused flooding and disruption of lives in many of Nassau County's shore communities. Under the Pet Safe activation plan, the North Shore Animal League of America - a staunch Pet Safe Coalition member -- brought its van to the Locust Valley Library to support pet owning evacuees. In addition, another key Pet Safe Coalition member, the Long Island Veterinary Medical Association, had members at the ready to support the effort. For the first time in the history of Nassau County, an animal advocate - the president of Pet Safe Coalition -- participated at the Nassau County Emergency Operations Center during an activation. All this doesn't "just happen." It takes planning, coordination, and a commitment to the belief that people with pets are a growing and important segment of our community. And it takes resources.

Locust Valley and nearby Glen Cove and Oyster Bay's residents have much to celebrate. Pet Safe's reception at the library on Sept. 6, 7 p.m., would be a joyous event, even if light refreshments weren't going to be served ... but they are! And there's more: everyone who attends will leave with a blueprint for keeping animals and their owners safe in a disaster.

Beverly M. Poppell, Esq.

Vice President/Public Information Officer

Pet Safe Coalition, Inc.