Are there “career” sitters displaced by Hurricane Helene? Does THS have a plan on how to help in this situation?
Hi there
I am currently in North Carolina but the area we are in is not getting hit by particularly bad weather. A bit of heavy rain just started, and it has been windy. But if for any reason I had to evacuate, that is not something THS would help with.
It is not as if we are employees who are assigned to sits by the company, and they are responsible for our experience in any way. They are essentially a matching service and nothing more.
If a sitter is considering a sit in an area prone to weather events that may necessitate evacuation, and this is something that really concerns them, there are a number of things they want to consider, and certain things they may need to discuss with the host, particularly in regards to financial matters.
For example, if they needed to evacuate and were to continue caring for the pets, would the host immediately pay for alternative accommodation if necessary or would you need to lay out money and be reimbursed?
If for some reason, the hosts decided to come home ,and the sit was cut short, would you be able to cover costs if you couldn’t find another sit to fill those open days?
For most of the problems that may arise during a sit, including something like this, THS really can’t do much about it.
I’ve asked our Membership Services team if there’s any specific advice, and while I’m waiting for an answer, I think one thing we’d recommend to anyone affected is maintaining close contact with the pet parent.
I thought I’d share this link which is a discussion around Hurricane Ian, and has some great information.
The Forum team are thinking of those affected by Hurricane Helene, and hopes they stay safe.
Jenny
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I mentioned in another thread that I am currently on a sit in Estero, Florida and this area got plenty of rain and wind from Hurricane Helena–but thank goodness no loss of power or flooding. Some parts of Florida were hit harder than others.
This is great advice from @Jenny. Prior to the storm landing, I had been in contact with the pet parents and keeping up with weather information on the news. Storms have different categories as to their severity and depending on the severity, residents may need to evacuate. Some counties in Florida had to evacuate—fortunately, I am in a county that did not need to evacuate.
In case of losing power, the pet parents let me know where I could locate candles, a battery operated lantern, and a radio. I had plenty of water and non-perishable foods. And the pup I am sitting has plenty of food.
Today, the sun is shining. 
Other than some debris that has fallen from trees, there is harldy any evidence showing that a storm had occurred less than 24 hours ago.
Not sure what THS could do, @Jenny is checking…but for those that would have to evacuate, shelters could be available. If persons are affected and able to—suggest contacting their local shelters for assistance.
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I sat a cat trio outside Occidental, Calif in a house surrounded by forest - had use of the HO’s pickup truck. We made sure that I would be able to ‘round up’ the trio and get them into their carriers in case of fire!
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Totally agree.
This thread might be useful: Natural disasters sit - #33 by AnneEverett
There are others that are searchable.
Hello there- as an owner traveling out of country but affected by the Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina, I have some very positive comments and agreements. My personal opinion is yes, as much communication as possible is essential if you love your home and your pets- a given !! And yes, I agree with making sure that the sitter is ok with any plan. Period. I also believe that any additional expenses be covered by me as the owner to support the care of our home and animals , which only goes well if the THS person is also looked after !! So it has been 6 days and she does have power, no home damage and wonderful nieghbors but there is no water. So we will work it out with her as we should- it is a partnership, like any good system. Our sitter is a supersitter and she is part of the decision making process . Stay tuned and hope everyone out there has suffered little tragedy or not- this is a very bad situation between NC, SC, GA and FL. Federal disaster.
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How are things now, @VikkiD - it’d be great to hear an update. I’m glad you’ve been able to keep close contact with your sitter.