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Ramsey County │ Annex H: Mass Care and Shelter 11 <br />• Direct distribution: Supplies are initially moved to a central location for staff to collect and <br />redistribute through “door-to-door” residential delivery. <br />• Commodity Points of Distribution (C-PODs): Initial (accessible) point(s) where impacted <br />populations can obtain emergency relief supplies. C-PODs can be located in accessible open <br />areas or existing community infrastructures (e.g., schools, athletic facilities, community centers) <br />or accessible care facilities (e.g., shelters, food banks, cooling/warming stations, feeding <br />kitchens). <br />3.1.6.5 Family Assistance Center (FAC) <br />FACs provide a gathering space and support services for families and loved ones of victims immediately <br />after an event. Services provided may include, but are not limited to: <br />• Disaster mental health <br />• Incident status information <br />• Referral to recovery services <br />See Section 3.1.6 for more information on these types of services. <br />Incidental reunification may happen at a FAC but is typically conducted in a separate facility specific to <br />that operation. <br />More information can be found in the Ramsey County Family Assistance Center Plan. <br />3.1.7 ADDITIONAL MASS CARE SERVICES <br />The following sections outlines other types of mass care that may be provided to impacted populations <br />following a disaster. These services can be provided on their own or in combination and may be <br />provided within or separate from a shelter environment. Note that the types of mass care services <br />provided following a disaster will be impacted by disaster type and impact, available resources, <br />accessibility and cultural considerations, and community need. <br />3.1.7.1 Animal Services <br />Animal services are an essential component of shelter planning. Experience has shown that many people <br />will not seek shelter unless their domestic animals are attended to. Incident planning assumptions must <br />account for people arriving at general shelters with companion and service animals. Service animals are <br />not pets. Service animals can accompany their owners while staying in human shelter facilities. <br />Other animals must be allowed to shelter as close as possible to human shelters to facilitate care <br />coordination. If sheltering is taking place in an infectious disease environment, restrictions on the ability <br />of owners to interact with their pets will need to be put in place to reduce the possible spread of <br />communicable diseases. <br />More information about animal services for shelter operations is available in the Ramsey County Animal <br />Services Standard Operation Guide.