These additional guidelines are recommendations and not requirements. One of the critical factors in determining if a facility is appropriate for sheltering is evaluating the length of time a shelter might be needed. For example, a facility that has limited shower resources might be appropriate for an Emergency Evacuation Shelter but alternate arrangements would need to be made if there were to be a Long Term Shelter there. Additionally, use of a specific facility as a shelter requires the consideration of available resources and the identification of potential gaps. These considerations may include whether or not:

• The facility is accessible as defined in relevant government regulations, e.g., Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• At least one toilet is handicap accessible. A double wide portable unit usually meets this need. Toilet details in the above table are based on the allocation of 60% women, 40% men. 
• Shower resources are available. 
• Laundry services are available (either onsite and offsite pickup).
• Electrical power, lighting, and generator supports are available.
• If utility-provided power is available, back-up generation may not be needed. The facility may have an operable transfer switch and back-up generation may be operable.
• The building may be wired with an existing transfer switch or may have a generator interconnect for connection to a portable generator. Panel requirements are needed to specify appropriate generator .
• There may be no existing transfer switch; however, a generator having full capacity to provide building power may be available. Building power may be electrically isolated from the utility system and temporarily connected directly to generator (requires assistance from local electric utility provider). Building panel requirements are needed to specify appropriate generator.
• Portable generators and drop cords may be used to provide temporary power for lighting or other small loads (generator is NOT interconnected with existing building wiring).
• Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) is available. Heat, ventilation, and air conditioning considerations should be based on seasonal and climate conditions and the total occupancy planned for the facility. The non-traditional use of a building may require additional HVAC capability/capacity while serving as a shelter. 
• A “refuge of last resort” typically is a last option for people who have been unable, through choice or circumstance, to evacuate the risk area before or after a disaster incident. These facilities provide a place for people to seek protection from the elements, but they are not shelters. Usually they do not provide food, drink, sleeping accommodations or other services people associate with a shelter environment. While planners may identify facilities to serve as a refuge, public messaging regarding the availability of a “refuge of last resort” should only be provided once it is unsafe to travel to a shelter, and should not necessarily be communicated pre-event.

The American Red Cross performs regular inspections of all shelters to ensure the facilities meet Red Cross shelter standards. Inspections will be conducted in partnership with the Central City Public Works Department or the Liberty County Public Works Department, who will assess the structural integrity of the facility, and the Liberty County Public Health Department, who can conduct an environmental health and safety assessment.

Upon completion of the inspection, the American Red Cross will sign a standard “Agreement To Permit the Use of a Facility as a Red Cross Emergency Shelter” with the facility owner (See Appendix AB. Organization Charts, Checklists, and Forms).

Prior to opening a shelter, the American Red Cross will also conduct a pre-occupancy walkthrough of the facility alongside the facility owner, noting the facility’s condition and any potential safety hazards.

The American Red Cross has determined that hurricane shelters will not be opened south of State Route (SR) 18 in Liberty County due to the dangers of storm surge and hurricane winds. Hurricane shelters will not be opened south of SR 18 in Stamford County and south of I-102 in Green County.

In Liberty County, emergency management and American Red Cross personnel jointly decide when and where a shelter should be opened. On some incidents, such as a tornado or apartment fire, the American Red Cross may initiate a shelter opening; in other events, like an approaching hurricane, the request to open evacuation shelters may originate with emergency management.

Once the decision has been made to open a shelter and the location of the shelter has been determined, American Red Cross personnel are charged with the staffing and operation of the shelter. The core functions of a sheltering team include:

• Shelter Management
• Client Registration
• Dormitory Management
• Feeding/Meal Service
• Professional Public Health
• Mental Health

Depending on the magnitude of the incident, the American Red Cross may request additional personnel to support these core functions from the Liberty County Department of Housing & Human Services (for shelter management and mental health support) and/or the Liberty County Public Health Department (for health and medical personnel).

The Red Cross may also activate other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to support shelter operations. For example, The Salvation Army or Southern Baptist Disaster Relief may be activated to provide food services or the Church of the Brethren for childcare assistance.

Additional residential support functions and facility/logistics support may also be provided depending on the type of shelter and level of occupancy.

The American Red Cross will coordinate feeding operations for all Red Cross shelters. Red Cross shelter agreements allow the use of the facilities’ kitchens for the preparation and serving of meals when the shelter is activated.

The American Red Cross also has signed agreements with The Salvation Army and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief to provide mobile food support to its shelters if necessary. The Red Cross also has vender agreements with area food operators to provide feeding assistance as needed during shelter operations.

Segregating children and adults with and without disabilities who have access or functional needs and those with whom they are associated from general population shelters to “special needs” shelters is ineffective in achieving equitable program access and violates Federal law.

Individuals with disabilities or functional and access needs should be integrated within general population shelters as much as possible. This enables people with disabilities and functional needs to gain access to the same programs and services as the general population. Individuals with service animals may bring them to any shelter and should be accommodated.

The Liberty County Public Health Department will work closely with the American Red Cross to ensure functional and access needs are met.

For more information, see FEMA’s Guidance on Planning for Integration of Functional Needs Support Services in General Population Shelters.