Hurricane Katrina Rescue Diary
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September
27, 2005 |
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 Tuesday,
September 27, 2005
The
12-person Humane
Society of Missouri
Hurricane Katrina
Disaster Rescue
Team has come full
circle in its mission
to rescue animals
affected by this
disaster.
After
rescuing more
than 1,000 animals for
the past 3 1/2
weeks in the devastated
areas of southern
Mississippi and
Louisiana, they arrived
home in St. Louis Saturday,
Sept. 24.
They traveled with seven vehicles filled with veterinary and
other animal supplies, people and pet food, water, a boat and chain
saws. They helped set up temporary shelters in Jackson and Hattiesburg,
Mississippi, and worked as part of the shelter team in Gonzales,
Louisiana. Team members made daily rescue trips to towns along
the Gulf Coast from New Orleans to Ocean City. The devastation
they witnessed was incredible, piles of former homes and buildings
were everywhere. Trees looked like it was winter, no leaves. Nothing
left intact. And, of course, the sadness of people and pets in
total desperation.
 Our team worked sunrise to well past sundown for 25 days straight,
climbing over debris and through rank water, into remains of homes
and towns searching for animals that needed help -- a cat under
a porch, hungry and scared; 10 dogs who treaded water for hours
eight inches from the ceiling in their home with their owner until
the flood subsided; “Killer” the nervous Chihuahua
and “Bear” the docile, big blonde mixed Labrador, who
were scared and thirsty and happy to see our rescuers who had heard
about their plight from area authorities. Dramas like this occurred
every day -- in the ravaged streets and homes and in the temporary
animal shelters in Mississippi and Louisiana.
More than 150 dogs and cats from those shelters have been received by the Humane
Society of Missouri. They currently are in foster homes of some
of the more than 1400 people from throughout the St. Louis area
who volunteered to provide the extra love and care these animals
need. We truly are grateful to everyone who has volunteered; donated
time, materials and money and kept our team and the animals in
their thoughts.
The team is now headed to Beaumont, Texas to
help the
animals
affected by
Hurricane Rita.
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| Build-A-Bear
Workshop and Nestle Purina
Pet Care are proud major supporters of the Humane Society
of Missouri's Hurricane Katrina rescue team. |
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