Rescue

Humane Society of Missouri Disaster Response Team Called to Texas

Sept. 24, 2008-- Today the City of Galveston Island allowed all residents to return to their homes. By Friday it’s expected that all residents will either come back and stay on the island or go in only to retrieve their pets. The Disaster Response Team has fed and watered nearly 300 animals along with livestock and given out thousands of pounds of pet food. The team is expected to leave early Friday.

Brian Willams filling up a tub of fresh water for the livestock on Galveston Island.

Monday, Sept. 22, 2008

Update 4:30 p.m.--More than one week ago after Hurricane Ike ripped through Galveston HSMO Disaster Response Team member Tim Rickey reports that mold is becoming a factor in the health of many of the rescued pets. They are developing respiratory problems on top of dehydration and starvation caused by mold growing in hot and humid conditions inside many of the abandoned homes.

Cat suffering from dehydration and starvation tried to keep cool in sink of abandoned home. It was rescued by team member Chad Shanks after hearing his cries coming from inside the home.

HSMO Disaster Response team members have rescued close to 700 pets so far and fed and watered approximately 1,500 animals including several hundred livestock. The team is scaling back and sending the original members home while the remaining team is expected to stay until Friday.

8:30 a.m.--The Humane Society's second six-member Disaster Response Team arrived in Galveston Friday to continue animal rescue and feeding and watering of livestock with the ten HSMO rescuers already on the scene. To date, the HSMO field teams have rescued nearly 600 of the 700 animals brought in to the temporary Galveston shelter. In addition, animal rescuers have fed and watered nearly 1500 livestock on the island. Team members report that although the weather has been cooperative, electric and water service is spotty at best and residents are still not allowed back on the island.

As calls for animal rescue decrease, four of the original HSMO team members who have been in Texas for more than a week returned to St. Louis yesterday. An additional seven members will leave Galveston tomorrow. Because of our experience with aggressive animals and difficult rescue situations, emergency management officials have asked the remaining five HSMO team members to stay until the end of this week to handle an expected increase in calls for assistance as residents are allowed to return to battered and flood damaged homes and businesses.

Friday, Sept. 19, 2008-- According to Carmen Skelly, leader of the HSMO Disaster Response Team in Texas, the animal welfare disaster response field teams working in the Galveston area are seeing many more animals than they had expected. Although pets were allowed to evacuate with people, many individuals decided to remain on the island and sit out the storm. Following the storm, many residents had to leave very quickly and many animals were left behind. The devastation in Galveston is severe, similar to what rescuers experienced after Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi and Louisiana.

The combined animal welfare field teams responded to 114 calls yesterday. The Humane Society of Missouri is staffing four of the nine field teams working dawn to dusk rescuing animals. One hundred and eleven animals were received in the Galveston temporary shelter on Thursday. HSMO Disaster Response team member John Anderson, driving our Mobile Animal Rescue Trailer, transported 39 dogs, 44 cats and 4 rabbits from Galveston to the Houston SPCA shelter to free up more space at the Galveston temporary shelter. This space will be needed as authorities have directed that all pets, including those we had been feeding and watering in place, be removed from Galveston beginning Friday. Also, Jamaica Beach, southwest of Galveston, has been opened for animal rescuers to begin sweeping the area and we expect to receive many more animals from that area.

Kyle Held, Chad Shanks, Bonnie Dean and Catherine Raymond refill buckets with fresh water for thirsty cattle nearby.

Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008--HSMO Disaster Response Unit’s nine field teams responded to 129 rescue requests just yesterday. The mission is to leave fresh food and water to as many animals as possible and bring back any that appeared to be injured. Among the animals assisted yesterday were 17 dogs; 28 cats; 2 birds; 1 rabbit and approximately 15 cattle.

Bonnie Dean and her teammate left hay and fresh water for livestock while also creating a temporary containment area by using a creative solution of garden hoses and a boat to secure open areas.

Today BART (big animal rescue trailer) will be put into action by moving the majority of the animals at the Galveston temporary shelter to the Houston SPCA which will allow more space for incoming animals.

The weather post hurricane has been exceptional – 80 degrees during the day and 60 degrees at night making the day to day tasks of this operation run smooth without the threat of rain.

Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008 -- Today, we received an urgent request from officials in Texas to send more animal rescuers to the southeastern Texas coast. They desperately need all the people we can send to rescue stranded pets and livestock. Six additional professional animal care and rescue staff from the Humane Society of Missouri Disaster Response Unit are responding to the call.

Currently, our ten-member Disaster Response Team is in hurricane-ravaged Galveston working tirelessly to save as many pets as possible. Our team has been designated the lead animal rescue agency in the Galveston area. And, their rescue and sheltering work has garnered national attention -- Rescuer Kyle Held was interviewed by NBC/MSNBC News as he was standing atop the rubble of a destroyed home.

“For people who have lost everything, including their homes, the knowledge that we will do everything to find and return their pets to safety is a reassuring feeling,” said Carmen Skelly, team leader of the HSMO Disaster Response Team.
We are using most of our available rescue equipment to save pets, including our large animal rescue trailer that holds 100 animals, 50 and 15-animal vans, 4-wheel drive trucks, horse trailers, our swift-water animal rescue boat, an all-terrain vehicle, generators, chain saws, and other large animal rescue equipment.

Back in Missouri, we are keeping a wary and watchful eye over the rising waters. Last weekend, a second HSMO Disaster Response Team helped rescue pets in flooded Silex, Mo. And, we’re on the ready to assist in Jefferson County if needed this week.

Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008-- The Disaster Response Team as well as other animal welfare agencies loaded materials necessary to provide emergency sheltering for the Galveston area into a 40-foot box trailer, pick-ups and vans and headed toward the abandoned Galveston Police Department building to unload supplies. Once there, an evacuee brought in three felines and one rabbit from an apartment complex and another person stopped by with a request to check on the welfare of a dog living next door to her.

The Disaster Response Team has been designated as the lead agency in the Galveston area and will be following up on more than fifty calls regarding animal welfare starting tomorrow morning. It appears that there are considerable livestock and domestic livestock in Galveston and rumors that large cats and exotic animals will also need care. Because the time frame of their stay is unknown, the Disaster Response Team plans to move into the Galveston Emergency Shelter until further notice while they wait to receive clearance to start performing water rescues.

Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008 -- After driving through often torrential rain, the team made it to Dallas about 2:30 a.m. Unfortunately, a mix up in room reservations ended up with team members sleeping on the floor (or in one case, a chair and stool) in a couple of unfinished, unfurnished rooms. After just a few hours sleep, the team hit the road again at 6:45 a.m.

About 120 miles north of Houston they began to see damage and flooding from the hurricane. A stop in Huntsville for fuel proved somewhat challenging as lines were long. However, since most of our vehicles require diesel fuel which had shorter lines and with the assistance of understanding police officers, refueling went relatively quickly.

About 2 p.m. the team arrived at the Houston SPCA and began setting up equipment and living quarters in our trailer. Meetings with emergency officials and other animal rescue groups completed the day. Our team expects to be assigned to Galveston on Monday to set up a temporary animal shelter and begin rescue operations. The Galveston Animal Shelter was totally destroyed by Hurricane Ike.

In addition to the Humane Society of Missouri, official animal rescue agencies working in Texas include Denver Dumb Friends League; Code 3 Associates, SPCA of Los Angeles, Humane Society of the Pike's Peak Region, Louisiana SPCA, SPCA of Texas, and Houston SPCA.

Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008- At the request of the Houston SPCA, a ten-member team from the Humane Society of Missouri's Disaster Response Unit will leave about 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13 from Humane Society Headquarters, 1201 Macklind Avenue to travel to the Galveston, Texas area to aid in the rescue of pets in the aftermath Hurricane Ike in the hardest-hit coastal areas of Texas. Because of the Humane Society’s disaster and animal rescue and handling experience and expertise, the HSMO Disaster Response Team has been asked to be prepared for both water and land rescue operations.

Team equipment will include the Humane Society’s large animal rescue trailer that can hold up to 100 animals, a 50-animal van, a 15-animal van, three 4-wheel drive trucks, two horse trailers, a boat, an all-terrain vehicle, generators, chain saws, and large animal rescue equipment. As the team will have to be self-contained, they are also taking a trailer to provide sleeping quarters.

The call came to the Humane Society of Missouri as a result of an agreement between the Houston SPCA and the Humane Society of Missouri to assist one another in times of disaster.

Just two weeks ago, the Humane Society of Missouri Disaster Response Team aided in the evacuation, sheltering and rehoming of thousands of pets in New Orleans affected by Hurricane Gustav. In 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Humane Society of Missouri

Disaster Response Team rescued more than 2,000 animals in Louisiana and Texas.

The Humane Society of Missouri has in reserve a second Disaster Response Team to lead animal rescue operations in case of flooding in Missouri as a result of Hurricane Ike.