John Olexa
08-31-2005, 04:39 PM
The Louisiana SPCA evacuated its entire shelter according to their plan which has been developed over the course of several tropical storms and hurricanes. Reports are that while the shelter itself is currently underwater, all the animals were evacuated. The HSUS has been asked to work to help place adoptable animals evacuated into adoption programs in Texas. According to the State Veterinarian's Office, a levee had broken near the shelter and the entire area is currently inaccessible.
There is a pet friendly shelter set up at the Coliseum in Jackson and run by Mississippi Animal Rescue League (MARL) and staff of the Louisiana SPCA, who evacuated to that area. MARL also took some animals in at its shelter. As of Tuesday morning, the two locations were sheltering over 100 animals for evacuees.
According to news reports, it appears that New Orleans, though damaged and flooded, was spared from the worst case scenario. However, it appears that Mississippi might have taken the brunt of the storm. We will know more as the day goes on.
HSUS ACTIONS TAKEN AND PLANNED:
Several HSUS response units are perched on both the eastern and the western edges of the impact area ready to respond to areas hardest hit as soon as the winds subside.
• The HSUS Southwest Regional Office has been supporting the Louisiana SPCA evacuation of animals to the Houston SPCA by offering to receive hundreds of adoptable pets and organizing their distribution to animal shelters throughout Texas, where they can be adopted.
• The HSUS Disaster Response Program Coordinator, HSUS Southeast and Southwest regional office staff, and members of our National Disaster Animal Response Team (DART) have been staging our resources until after the worst of the storm has passed. The HSUS headquarters Disaster staff, and additional staff from the Southeast and Southwest regional offices are supporting the response and coordinating with national, state, and voluntary organizations from their respective offices.
• The new HSUS Disaster Response Unit (a four-wheel drive truck and 38-foot air-conditioned trailer with rescue, sheltering, and communication equipment as well as pet food and supplies) has been stocked with even more equipment and supplies to help with rescue and recovery from this massive storm.
• The HSUS-affiliated response unit, comprising a 40-foot long livestock air-conditioned trailer outfitted for response and sheltering, motor home and large multipurpose truck from the HSUS-affiliated Sumter County, Florida DART, is part of our response, as is a sheltering team complete with vehicles, equipment, and personnel from South Carolina and a mobile vet unit from Georgia.
• Another HSUS DART responder in Florida has picked up crates and other supplies from The Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County, as well as a boat, and taking them to the Panhandle staging area.
• Day’s End Farm Horse Rescue (Maryland) disaster response unit will be joining the HSUS response, including their truck and horse trailer, with rescue and sheltering equipment especially for large animals—horses and livestock.
• Another HSUS-trained and affiliated team, the Okaloosa (Florida) Animal Services/DART team, will also respond as part of the HSUS team.
• Florida's Governor has already offered impacted states any of Florida's resources and Mississippi has requested their technical assistance and management of animal issues. Our Southeast Regional Office (SWRO) is partnering with the Florida State Agricultural Response Team, to assess animal needs and to provide rescue and sheltering in south Mississippi
• Our Southwest Regional Office is working with response teams from Texas to provide assistance on the west side of the impact area. The HSUS SWRO is working with the Louisiana State Veterinarian.
• Most of our responders have valuable experience from the marathon response to the four Florida hurricanes of 2004, so we will be bringing a lot of knowledge along with our equipment and supplies.
• We have been coordinating (and will continue to) with other voluntary organizations through the Department of Homeland Security, the American Red Cross, the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD) which comprises many faith-based and voluntary groups, and many other organizations.
Our Disaster Animal Response Teams come to the rescue of animals in communities devastated by hurricanes.
Dear John,
In response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina yesterday, The Humane Society of the United States has launched a massive relief effort to rescue animals and assist their caregivers in the disaster areas.
Even as you read this, our highly-trained Disaster Animal Response Teams are heading to Mississippi to begin a multi-state animal rescue and recovery effort. Our 38-foot Disaster Response Unit and other rescue vehicles affiliated with our teams are fully stocked and on their way.
Our entire relief effort is funded by donations from people like you, and we desperately need your support. Please make an emergency contribution to our Disaster Relief Fund today. Your tax-deductible gift will be used exclusively for our disaster animal relief work.
http://www.hsus.org/
Even at this early stage, Hurricane Katrina promises to be one of the most devastating hurricanes on record. Please keep the human and animal victims in your thoughts, and please consider making an emergency donation today to help our disaster relief teams save as many stranded and injured animals as possible. My dedicated corps of professionals and volunteers sends our gratitude as we get set to enter the disaster zone.
Sincerely,
Laura Bevan
Incident Commander
HSUS National Disaster Animal Response Team
Florida Panhandle Staging Area
P.S. As the leader of our on-the-ground disaster relief efforts, I can tell you first-hand that the difficult and dangerous task of saving animals' lives in disaster situations is vital not only to the animals, but to the people who love them, too. Any support you can provide for our animal relief work is deeply appreciated.
There is a pet friendly shelter set up at the Coliseum in Jackson and run by Mississippi Animal Rescue League (MARL) and staff of the Louisiana SPCA, who evacuated to that area. MARL also took some animals in at its shelter. As of Tuesday morning, the two locations were sheltering over 100 animals for evacuees.
According to news reports, it appears that New Orleans, though damaged and flooded, was spared from the worst case scenario. However, it appears that Mississippi might have taken the brunt of the storm. We will know more as the day goes on.
HSUS ACTIONS TAKEN AND PLANNED:
Several HSUS response units are perched on both the eastern and the western edges of the impact area ready to respond to areas hardest hit as soon as the winds subside.
• The HSUS Southwest Regional Office has been supporting the Louisiana SPCA evacuation of animals to the Houston SPCA by offering to receive hundreds of adoptable pets and organizing their distribution to animal shelters throughout Texas, where they can be adopted.
• The HSUS Disaster Response Program Coordinator, HSUS Southeast and Southwest regional office staff, and members of our National Disaster Animal Response Team (DART) have been staging our resources until after the worst of the storm has passed. The HSUS headquarters Disaster staff, and additional staff from the Southeast and Southwest regional offices are supporting the response and coordinating with national, state, and voluntary organizations from their respective offices.
• The new HSUS Disaster Response Unit (a four-wheel drive truck and 38-foot air-conditioned trailer with rescue, sheltering, and communication equipment as well as pet food and supplies) has been stocked with even more equipment and supplies to help with rescue and recovery from this massive storm.
• The HSUS-affiliated response unit, comprising a 40-foot long livestock air-conditioned trailer outfitted for response and sheltering, motor home and large multipurpose truck from the HSUS-affiliated Sumter County, Florida DART, is part of our response, as is a sheltering team complete with vehicles, equipment, and personnel from South Carolina and a mobile vet unit from Georgia.
• Another HSUS DART responder in Florida has picked up crates and other supplies from The Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County, as well as a boat, and taking them to the Panhandle staging area.
• Day’s End Farm Horse Rescue (Maryland) disaster response unit will be joining the HSUS response, including their truck and horse trailer, with rescue and sheltering equipment especially for large animals—horses and livestock.
• Another HSUS-trained and affiliated team, the Okaloosa (Florida) Animal Services/DART team, will also respond as part of the HSUS team.
• Florida's Governor has already offered impacted states any of Florida's resources and Mississippi has requested their technical assistance and management of animal issues. Our Southeast Regional Office (SWRO) is partnering with the Florida State Agricultural Response Team, to assess animal needs and to provide rescue and sheltering in south Mississippi
• Our Southwest Regional Office is working with response teams from Texas to provide assistance on the west side of the impact area. The HSUS SWRO is working with the Louisiana State Veterinarian.
• Most of our responders have valuable experience from the marathon response to the four Florida hurricanes of 2004, so we will be bringing a lot of knowledge along with our equipment and supplies.
• We have been coordinating (and will continue to) with other voluntary organizations through the Department of Homeland Security, the American Red Cross, the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD) which comprises many faith-based and voluntary groups, and many other organizations.
Our Disaster Animal Response Teams come to the rescue of animals in communities devastated by hurricanes.
Dear John,
In response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina yesterday, The Humane Society of the United States has launched a massive relief effort to rescue animals and assist their caregivers in the disaster areas.
Even as you read this, our highly-trained Disaster Animal Response Teams are heading to Mississippi to begin a multi-state animal rescue and recovery effort. Our 38-foot Disaster Response Unit and other rescue vehicles affiliated with our teams are fully stocked and on their way.
Our entire relief effort is funded by donations from people like you, and we desperately need your support. Please make an emergency contribution to our Disaster Relief Fund today. Your tax-deductible gift will be used exclusively for our disaster animal relief work.
http://www.hsus.org/
Even at this early stage, Hurricane Katrina promises to be one of the most devastating hurricanes on record. Please keep the human and animal victims in your thoughts, and please consider making an emergency donation today to help our disaster relief teams save as many stranded and injured animals as possible. My dedicated corps of professionals and volunteers sends our gratitude as we get set to enter the disaster zone.
Sincerely,
Laura Bevan
Incident Commander
HSUS National Disaster Animal Response Team
Florida Panhandle Staging Area
P.S. As the leader of our on-the-ground disaster relief efforts, I can tell you first-hand that the difficult and dangerous task of saving animals' lives in disaster situations is vital not only to the animals, but to the people who love them, too. Any support you can provide for our animal relief work is deeply appreciated.