Hurricane Katrina: Animal Disaster Relief Teams to the Rescue
Funds are Urgently Needed to Save Animals from Storm's Destruction
 Hurricane Katrina continues to wreak havoc across the southern U.S. Blowing winds of 135 mph and flooding whole communities, the storm has already claimed scores of lives, and that number is expected to climb into the hundreds. Over a million people have been forced to evacuate their homes and seek refuge elsewhere, with family or in crisis centers. If your family must leave your home to avoid the hurricane, please be sure to take your animals with you to ensure their safety.
Located in Grenada, Miss., IDA's Project Hope sanctuary sits in the northern half of the state about midway between the Capital, Jackson, and Memphis, Tenn. Grenada had a lot of rain and high winds, but was spared the full brunt of the hurricane that struck the southern part of the state along the Gulf of Mexico. The sanctuary still suffered about $5,000 in damages from fallen branches, broken fences, and some doghouses being ripped by the wind from their concrete foundations. Thankfully, all of the animals there are fine. Hotels in Grenada are filled with evacuees from areas blasted by the storm, many accompanied by their animal companions.
With the sanctuary safe in the hands of Sonya and Heather, Project Hope Director Doll Stanley and a team of four rescuers have gone to a massive staging area at the County Fairgrounds in Jackson to join in the efforts of Mississippi Emergency Response for Animals (MEPA) and the Disaster Animal Response Team (DART) to help animals there. The city's relief center is filled with people and animals (mostly from Gulfport, Miss. and Louisiana) who had to evacuate their homes. The Project Hope team reports that though many of these families may have lost their homes and all their possessions to the storm, they express gratitude for the kindness that rescuers have shown them and their animal companions, which include cats, dogs, birds, pot bellied pigs, a goat and a ferret. Others are bringing in strays off the street, and over 100 animals are at the rescue center at present.
Much of Jackson is flooded, and most areas have no electricity, yet emergency animal rescue teams continue to arrive at the relief center from different places, and are preparing to conduct rescues in impacted areas to the south. Right now, gaining access to flooded areas is difficult, and only human rescue teams are being let in to conduct search and rescue operations. With so much work yet to be done, the Project Hope team plans to spend several weeks in Jackson, but Doll will also conduct cruelty investigations as needed. They have been sleeping on bags of dog food in a big open barn at the relief center, keeping the most frightened animals nearby for comfort. Fortunately, Doll convinced PETsMART to donate $3,000 worth of supplies for the rescue operation. The carriers and crates supplied by PETsMART are being used to house animals at the rescue center, as well as to transport animals to shelters and foster homes.
We at IDA mourn this tragedy with the rest of the country, and hope for the safety of everyone affected by the disaster. We also offer condolences to those who have lost loved ones. Hundreds of people have lost family members to the storm, including many beloved companion animals. The hurricane's devastation shows us how important it is to plan ahead for the safety of animal companions in case of emergency. Do you know what you would do if disaster struck? Where would you take your animals? Do you have enough food and water stored away? Who would check on your animals if you were away from home during a disaster? Your animal friends' life could depend on your answers to these questions. For your safety and that of those who depend on you, be sure to have a plan for preparedness should disaster strike your area.
Here's what you can do!
- Get up to speed on safety by visiting United Animal Nations' Emergency Animal Rescue Services (EARS) website .
- Donate to IDA's Hurricane Katrina Animal Relief Fund to support our rescue efforts in Jackson. See below for more details.
Support IDA's Hurricane Relief Efforts
In December 2004, much of southern Asia was devastated by a tsunami that took the lives of more than 150,000 people. Hundreds of thousands of animals were also killed in the disaster, and many who lost their guardians were left homeless. IDA took an active role in helping these animals, donating funds to animal rescue and relief organizations in the area and encouraging our members to support these important efforts with much-needed donations.
Now Hurricane Katrina has hit our own country, and IDA is again taking action to help the storm's victims. Project Hope Director Doll Stanley and her team of animal rescuers have gone to Jackson, Miss. to join the rescue efforts there. They are doing all they can to ensure the safety of animal companions brought to Jackson by their guardians to escape the hurricane. Please help us support their crucial work by donating to IDA's Hurricane Katrina Animal Relief Fund. Money is needed for transportation, to feed animals and volunteers, and to repair the damage done by the storm at the Project Hope sanctuary. IDA also hopes to build up an emergency animal relief fund so that we will be able to respond immediately whenever disaster strikes.
IDA will give any funds that exceed the Project Hope team's expenses directly to the Louisiana SPCA in New Orleans, which has been hit hard by the storm. To donate, send checks made payable to IDA with a note reading "for hurricane relief" to:
In Defense of Animals
131 Camino Alto
Mill Valley, CA 94941
Click https://secure.ga3.org/02/idadonations to donate online using your credit card. Please indicate "hurricane" in the first name field in the "in honor of" section of the form.
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