What we're doing in response to Hurricane Ida
Ida hit Louisiana and Mississippi as a very strong Category 4 hurricane causing extensive damage and many people are still without power, water and other necessities. It was then downgraded as it moved through the rest of the south and mid-Atlantic states.
Unfortunately, Ida joined with another front last night bringing devastating rain, flooding and tornadoes to Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New England states. We continue to reach out to our partners and other area shelters today to provide assistance, as needed.
We remain focused primarily on transporting animals out of the affected areas. We have been and continue to be involved with these transports in every capacity, from linking organizations with animals to organizations with capacity, to full coordination, to hands-on loading, unloading, supplying the vans and doing many hours of driving. Here are just a few of the transports that have happened and are ongoing:
- Our East Coast Corridor Team participated with the Humane Society of Louisiana in a transport of about 200 animals from shelters in the south to rescues in the northeast, pre-storm.
- We’re working with the Souris Valley Animal Shelter in North Dakota and various shelters in Louisiana to get them 72 animals, including litters of kittens. We’re also providing funds for medical needs and are securing air transport.
- Best Friends Atlanta staff and Houston staff and volunteers just completed a transport to Gonzalez, Louisiana last night, loading up over 130 dogs and cats into vans for the drive San Antonio, Texas.
- Our Houston team has just completed a transport from the Louisiana SPCA to pick up about 25 dogs and cats for transport to Operation Kindness in Texas.
- The team is also working on another large transport of 45 animals to the Arizona Humane Society in Phoenix from the Louisiana SPCA. LSPCA will drive the animals to Houston where our teams will transfer the animals to our van and drive them to El Paso, TX to hub overnight where the AZHS staff will come get them.
We’re still receiving new transport requests from area shelters and are addressing them as they come in. We’re also starting to receive and process requests for medical funding and are starting to look for ways to deliver pet food and other supplies.
Visit Best Friends’ Facebook page for updates and to follow our work on the ground.
Header Photo © Operation Kindness
