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Humane Society of the United States
DISASTER UPDATE: ANIMAL RESCUES CONTINUE IN RAVAGED AREAS
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Dear Jane ,
As our Hurricane Katrina response heads into its 20th day, our
Disaster Animal Response Teams continue their quest to rescue
stranded pets while we brace for the potential arrival of
Hurricane Rita. Here's the latest update on what's happening in
Louisiana and Mississippi, along with new photos and a video of
our teams on the ground:
SLIDESHOW:
https://community.hsus.org/ct/D7aYJ9S1vmbD//VIDEO
Windows Media:
http://stream.realimpact.net/?file=realimpact/hsus/katrina/katrina.wmv&type=wmvRealPlayer:
http://stream.realimpact.net/?file=realimpact/hsus/katrina/katrina.rm+ Three weeks after Katrina struck the region and the flood
waters rose in New Orleans, our rescue teams are doing all they
can to reach stranded pets in time. We've rescued nearly 6,000
pets and other animals so far. Many animals are in remarkably
good shape, but others are severely dehydrated or have wounds or
chemical burns. For some, we are arriving too late to help.
While individual National Guardsmen and military units have
helped us, the federal government has refused to formally make
animal rescue a top priority.
+ The temporary animal shelter at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in
Gonzales, Louisiana, remains at capacity. To make room for new
rescues, we've transported more than 1,500 animals out of the
facility to other shelters. Our top animal sheltering
professionals are finding the task of running the massive
facility to be the most challenging assignment of their lives.
Despite the federal government's lack of response in helping
with rescues, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Public
Health Service have been a tremendous help at this facility, as
have officials from the state of Louisiana. We're still in need
of volunteers to help with the task of managing what has become
the nation's largest animal shelter!
https://community.hsus.org/ct/DpaYJ9S1vmbK/+ Amid the stress and hardship here, our staff and volunteers
are witnessing the most incredible reunions of pets and their
people - more than 400 so far. At our temporary shelter in
Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a bell near the entrance is rung each
time an animal is reunited with her owner. When that bell rings,
cheers and applause break out through the facility.
+ While our on-the-ground response remains our top priority, we
have begun looking toward the future. Yesterday, the American
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and The
HSUS announced the creation of a reconstruction fund to rebuild
animal shelters damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Each
organization is donating an initial $2.5 million, for a total
of $5 million. We hope to eventually build that fund to at
least $10 million.
To stay on top of everything that's happening in the region,
please bookmark www.hsus.org and be sure to visit it frequently.
We are adding new stories, information, and photos every day.
For all you do for animals, thank you so much.
Sincerely,
Laura Bevan
Incident Commander
HSUS National Disaster Animal Response Team
P.S. Do you have a question about our disaster response for
animals? Then please read our frequently asked questions:
https://community.hsus.org/ct/DdaYJ9S1vmbJ/If you don't find your answer there, then call us at
1-800-HUMANE-1 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern time, or reply
to this email (
disaster@hsus.org) with the topic of your
question identified in the subject line. Thank you!
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Copyright 2005 The Humane Society of the United States All
Rights Reserved
Humane Society Disaster Relief Fund
2100 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20037
disaster@hsus.org 202-452-1100 www.hsus.org
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