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Hillsborough Agencies Team Up For MOSI Hurricane Expo

Tribune photo by JAY CONNER

Cinder, a search-and-rescue dog, will be at the conference with her handler. After a disaster, Cinder’s job is to sniff through the rubble of collapsed buildings and find people buried alive.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 30, 2008

TAMPA - With hurricane season just a day away, local agencies and companies want to get the word out that there is a ton of stuff out there to help you prepare and get through the season should the worst happen.

To do that, they will stage a large-scale hurricane expo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Museum of Science & Industry, 4801 E. Fowler Ave.

Admission to the expo is free, and there are lots of freebies available for those who attend.

MOSI spokeswoman Shani Jefferson said the museum is offering a discount on Saturday as well. For an admission price of $8, expogoers can visit the museum's exhibits and attend one Imax film.

The focus, though, is on the expo, she said.

"There are 50 vendors here," she said. "There will be seminars in Spanish and English, and entertainment."

Among the attendees will be Tampa Fire Rescue personnel, including two search-and-rescue dogs and their handlers. Powder and her handler, Lt. Brian Smithey, and Cinder and her handler, Lt. Roger Picard, will explain their duties, which, basically, is to sniff through the rubble of collapsed buildings and find people buried alive.

The department has six such dogs out of about 175 in the nation certified by the federal government for this kind of work, said Picard, who, along with his previous dog, helped search through the rubble of the World Trade Center in New York City in 2001.

Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Bill Wade said hurricane expos have been held in the past but not involving all Hillsborough County agencies in one spot at one time.

"We have never had a big combined effort like this," he said.

Hillsborough County Animal Services spokesman Marti Ryan said her agency will be there to tell people what to do with pets if a hurricane hits the Bay area.

She also will hand out grab-and-go bags for pet supplies needed if humans and animals are ordered to evacuate. The bags also list pet-friendly shelters (there are two in the county) and has a checklist of things to do and what to take.

Museum officials say they usually count 2,000 to 3,000 customers on a typical Saturday.

"Tomorrow," Jefferson said, "we are hoping to double that."

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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