Community Corner
Helping From Afar: The Storms of the South and Animal Rescue
Over the last month thousands of people across the southern states lost their homes to floods and tornadoes. Now rescue groups are working to save the animals left behind.
Dozens of tornadoes swept the South during the last month, leaving nearly 300 people dead and thousands more homeless. Now, with the Mississippi River flooding, even more families are losing their homes to natural disaster.
With each new disaster, new stories emerge of families losing all forms of shelter and sustenance. Many times these families can no longer care for their pets. Pets can also easily become displaced during the confusion and the sometimes catastrophic atmosphere following a natural disaster. It is during this time that the animal rescue group goes into overdrive.
Rescue groups large and small have flocked to the South to help find stability for the animals lost in the floods and tornadoes. The ASPCA and AdoptaLab.org, two organizations highlighted below, are just two of the many groups working to bring comfort to the animals displaced by tornadoes and floods. These rescue groups offer the opportunity for people nationwide to help a region of the country in a time of need.
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ASPCA
When the Mississippi River showed its full strength, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, one of the leaders in animal welfare, traveled south to see what work could be done, beginning its work by finding temporary shelter and emergency supplies for animals left behind in the wreckage. This week the organization began transporting these animals from the overcrowded shelters of the South to shelters across the country that are more able to help these pets.
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The ASPCA is also looking for donations to help continue its work, asking for donations on their website.
AdoptaLab.org
Smaller rescue groups like AdoptaLab.org also leaped into action to help save the animals in the storm-ravaged area. Based out of the Midwest, AdoptaLab.org specializes in finding homes for Labrador retrievers across the country.
On their website, the group explained its mission. "One of our goals was to take dogs we could easily adopt from the shelters handling overwhelming intake of displaced animals. Just as we did during hurricane Katrina, we emptied shelters so incoming strays would have room and the dogs already in the shelters wouldn't have to be euthanized because of space issues."
With 29 rescues so far and a commitment for at least 30 more, AdoptaLab.org is also seeking donations to help make their mission a success.
