|
|
 |
Hurricane Katrina Rescue Diary
| |
|
September
19, 2005 |
|
Monday,
September 19, 2005
From
Brett Huff, Rescues & Investigations
Officer
Tim and I are very busy in New Orleans. We apologize for not
sending more photos, but there's only two of us, and if our hands
our full pulling some dogs out of the water, I'm going to concentrate
on grabbing the dogs and not on grabbing the camera.
The mayor announced that residents were allowed back in the
city to check on the conditions of their homes and businesses.
There are so few clear streets that the influx of people slowed
us down a bit, but we're okay with that. We want people back in
their homes and taking care of their animals.
We were notified by a human search and rescue team of a home
with a two dogs inside. We gained entry and found the home
in a shambles. The high water mark was at the roof, but the
water had receded to porch-level when we got there. Upstairs
there were two dogs, a male poodle and a male Chihuahua hemmed
up on a mattress in the corner. They both were extremely
thin and covered in this oily, sludge-mud that’s all over. It’s
actually the consistency of tar. We were able to get the
dogs outside and immediately tried to decontaminate them by pouring
several gallons of water all over them, and then hustled them to
the triage center.
The army and U.S. marshals have been extremely helpful in letting
us know when they find pets inside flooded houses. When they
check on a house and spray paint the outside with the entry date,
they note if there are any animals inside. We’re stopped
by them several times a day. The army guys have even started
carrying dog crates in the back of their HUM-Vs.
All
copyrights in photographs and diaries are claimed and reserved
by the Humane Society of Missouri. |
|
