This week, as communities across the southeast U.S. were still recovering from Hurricane Helene, some are bracing for yet another extremely dangerous hurricane. Our Animal Rescue Team—having just deployed to various locations across Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina to provide emergency veterinary care and distribute pet supplies and food last week—worked quickly once again to try to prevent harm to animals in the projected path of the new storm, Hurricane Milton.
On Tuesday, we collaborated with Wings of Rescue to fly about 60 adoptable animals from Tampa-area shelters to Alaqua Animal Refuge in Florida’s panhandle. This pre-storm evacuation brought these animals to safety while increasing the capacity of local animal services to accommodate the anticipated influx of animals displaced by the storm.
As the storm approaches, our team is in frequent contact with local shelters and emergency personnel to plan how to best respond to emerging and urgent needs. We are continuing to work on these responses as we are also working in other regions hit by recent storms.
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We have also been responding to the destruction caused by Hurricane John in Mexico, where wind gusts exceeding 120 miles per hour and widespread flooding devastated entire communities. Our team set up veterinary clinics and distribution points for pet supplies and food, helping nearly 1,000 animals in Guerrero, a hard-hit region that is also one of the poorest states in Mexico.
To date, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we have delivered critical relief to a dozen counties across Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. This included 17 truckloads of pet food, crates, cat litter and other essential supplies. Corporate supporters such as Hill's Pet Nutrition, Total Quality Logistics, Fetch Pet Insurance, Chewy and Cat’s Pride have been instrumental in reaching affected areas.
We couldn't do this work without our partnerships with local shelters who have stepped up to transfer adoptable animals into their programs so that shelters impacted by the storms can assist pets in the community. Partners who supported our efforts to respond to Hurricane Helene in various ways include Green Dogs Unleashed, Queen Anne’s County Animal Services, Lehigh Valley Humane Society, Petey and Furends, New Hampshire SCPA, PetConnect Rescue, Animal Haven, Williamson County Animal Center, Young Williams Animal Center, Nashville Humane Association and Humane Fort Wayne.
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We have also recently been sending funds and critical aid to other areas around the world impacted by record-breaking flooding, landslides and drought, such as Nepal, West Bengal in India, Ecuador, central and eastern Europe and Viet Nam.
When this storm season began, we knew it would be a brutal one, and we urged everyone to formulate emergency plans for themselves and their animals. Such knowledge does not alleviate the heartbreak we feel for the thousands affected by these disasters. It is our honor to help lessen the burden however we can for families who have lost everything. We will update you on our efforts in the wake of Hurricane Milton as soon as we can.
To support all our rescue and relief efforts and ensure that we can respond in times of crisis wherever, whenever and however animals need us, you can donate to our Emergency Animal Relief Fund.
Follow Kitty Block @HSUSKittyBlock.
