William Kincaid wasn't going anywhere Monday without  Root  Beer.

As Sandy bore down on Lancaster County, Kincaid made plans to flee his small camper in Kinzers Monday morning.

And Root Beer, his corgi-sheltie mix, was coming with him.

Kincaid and his dog were the first to arrive Monday at an American Red Cross emergency shelter set up at Manheim Township Middle School for people — and their pets — fleeing the storm.

A separate shelter at St. James Episcopal Church in Lancaster city, run by the Lancaster County Council of Churches, reportedly was full, housing about 40 people, by Monday night.

But as of 6 p.m., there were only six humans and one dog at the Red Cross shelter. More were expected to arrive as the storm continued to blow through the county Monday night.

"We expect most people are going to stay in their homes until they have a power outage and are forced to leave," said Janet Easterwood, coordinator of the Lancaster branch of the County Animal Rescue Team.

For the second year in a row, CART is partnering with the Red Cross to provide shelter for both humans and their pets at the same location.

Cages for dogs and cats were set up in a music room inside the middle school to accommodate up to 25 critters. Down the hall, about 15 cots were erected in the gymnasium Monday night.

The shelter could be expanded, if needed, to accommodate more than 200 people, according to a Red Cross volunteer.

Taking refuge with Kincaid inside the shelter Monday afternoon were Jim Brubaker and his elderly mother, Mary Brubaker, both of Lititz.

They fled their home around 4 p.m. because they were afraid the power would go out, rendering Mary Brubaker's oxygen machine inoperable.

"I don't have enough surplus oxygen, and if the power goes out, I'm stuck," said Mary Brubaker, who was resting on a cot, an oxygen concentrator plugged into a  nearby power outlet.

"I think it's wonderful," she said of the shelter. " The Lord provides for us."

Kincaid fled his camper at the Loose Caboose Campgrounds not because he was afraid it would be blown over or washed away by the storm. He was worried about a tree crushing it.

"It's anchored now, and it's not going anywhere, but you got 80-foot trees around there that can come down and take it out," he said. "For me and the dog, it's safer to be here."

Kincaid said he and his "little fuzzball" have been together since he adopted Root Beer from a Humane League shelter two years ago.

"I rescued her in September 2010, and she rescued me in 2011 when I had my stroke, so I don't go too far from her now," he said.

Kincaid credits Root Beer with rousing him after he suffered the stroke, enabling him to quickly get emergency treatment.

"If she hadn't woken me up when she did and I didn't get help when I did, I could have been paralyzed or even dead," he said. "I look out for her, and she looks out for me, and that works out good for both of us."

Providing shelter for people and their pets at the same, or a nearby location, is a new requirement under a federal law enacted after Hurricane Katrina.

During that storm, many residents refused to flee their homes because they couldn't bring their pets, endangering themselves and emergency medical personnel.

"I know a lot of people who will not go to a shelter if they can't bring their pets with them, and they won't leave their pets home alone" Kincaid said.

"So I thank CART and the Red Cross for providing this service."

Pet owners heading to the Red Cross shelter should bring vaccination records, food and crates to house their animals.
bwallace@lnpnews.com