Natural Disasters

The ASPCA has been in Sandy-affected areas since the storm rescuing animals, reuniting them with their families, distributing critical supplies and providing critical veterinary care. The need was great right after the storm, and it’s only growing now as more families’ homes become uninhabitable and cold weather sets in. That’s why we’re continuing to expand our response to Sandy.

For the thousands of families without power, running water or even homes a week and a half after Superstorm Sandy, the ASPCA can’t unload our pet supply trucks fast enough. Everywhere our trucks stop, we are met by a crowd of needy pet parents who eagerly snap up the supplies before we can pull away to the next distribution point.

Pets are all many families have left, and they are eager to take good care of them in spite of all they’ve lost. To date, we have distributed thousands of pounds of pet food and cat litter to areas of extreme need, and we are ramping up this effort and fielding more requests every day.

Our grants department is fielding requests of a different sort: pleas for help from shelters and other animal welfare groups affected by Sandy. We’re expediting the process so these groups get the help they need immediately.

If you live far from the affected area, please don’t look away from this catastrophe now. Animals and their pet parents need our help desperately, and we’re working around the clock to meet their needs. To date, we have helped nearly 6,000 animals, and we don’t expect this operation to wind down any time soon.

If you would like to contribute to our disaster relief fund, you can make a gift here. Every cent will go to ASPCA disaster relief efforts.

For updates on the ASPCA’s response to Sandy and its repercussions, please keep an eye on the ASPCA blog and follow the ASPCA on Twitter. 

The Cruelty Intervention Advocacy (CIA) program works in conjunction with Humane Law Enforcement to intervene in cases involving animals that are not victims of cruelty but may be at risk of becoming victims without intervention. To date, CIA has intervened in over 80 animal hoarding cases in New York City’s five boroughs. CIA’s Colleen Doherty told us about her work during Sandy.

When Hurricane Sandy hit NYC, I knew I had to get out to cases in impacted areas as quickly as possible to check on the condition of the animals. I responded to 11 cases in two days with a Humane Law Enforcement Agent and veterinarian, providing wellness checks to animals and critical supplies such as pet food and litter.

One case in particular in Coney Island, an area heavily impacted by Sandy, involves a family with 50 cats. Just before Sandy hit, the CIA team was coordinating a rescue operation to remove these cats and place them for adoption as soon as they were rehabilitated. Sandy interrupted this effort, and after the storm, I was not able to get in touch with the family because the cell service and power was out.  I headed there right away to check on them.

Luckily they didn’t sustain major flooding. They were in need of some supplies as lots of local stores were closed or flooded, so we provided them with all the essentials.

 It is an unbelievable feeling to be a lifeline to so many animals in my community. Being able to have a hands-on approach, seeing the condition of animals, pet parents and homes, and to see a case to completion, is an amazing privilege that I feel very lucky to have.

Please help support our ongoing relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy left many victims in her wake. However, we are relieved to report that Ivy, a one-year-old service dog, who was badly injured in the aftermath the storm, is expected to survive.

On Wednesday night, Ivy’s guardians were unable to go outside to walk her. Without power in their Manhattan apartment building, their elevator was also out of service. They asked their neighbor to take Ivy outside for some exercise.

Unfortunately, Ivy wandered off her leash onto a busy New York street, where she was presumably hit by multiple cars. A local resident found her early Thursday morning, and while she had suffered very severe injuries, she was still alive. Ivy was transported to the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in Manhattan to undergo treatment. This brave dog is expected to make a full recovery.

We’re so glad we are able to provide Ivy with the crucial care she needed, and just in time. Please help support our ongoing relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Update 11/8/12: Ivy is continuing to recover from her injuries until she can return home to her dedicated pet parents. One of Ivy’s pet parents is hearing-impaired, and the other is incapacitated due to a knee injury and was unable to walk her during Hurricane Sandy. While Ivy was walking with a neighbor, she escaped from her collar and was hit by a car before being rescued by a good Samaritan and brought to the ASPCA. We are all looking forward to Ivy’s speedy recovery.

Even as their region was devastated by Superstorm Sandy, a New Jersey couple found time to step up for an animal in need.

After spending days inside waiting out the storm without electricity, Gloria Delgado and Wilfredo Garcia took their dog for a walk Tuesday to survey the damage to their Elizabeth neighborhood.

A few blocks from their home, they saw something strange: a little white car idling at the edge of a park. The couple heard a yelp and a car door slam, and then watched as the car sped away.

To their horror, Delgado and Garcia realized a Hound/Pit Bull mix puppy, white with brown spots and about five months old, had been pitched out of the car, left to fend for herself among the downed trees and debris. Delgado called to the confused puppy, and she came right away.

Delgado and Garcia waited for 20 minutes—perhaps, they thought, she fell out of the car? But the car never returned, so they took the puppy home to their dark apartment.

“She was so nice,” Delgado says. “So good and playful with our kids and our dog.”

The puppy stayed the night, but the Garcia family knew they couldn’t keep her forever. Delgado cleans houses in Manhattan, and she decided to bring us the puppy when she returned to work. On Wednesday, the entire Garcia family braved hours of traffic to ensure the dog reached us safely. 

“I lived in Manhattan a long time ago, so I know how the ASPCA takes care of animals,” Garcia says. “I knew they would take care of this dog.”

We are so grateful that the Garcia family took care of this sweet and happy little puppy, who is receiving care at our Adoption Center and will be made available for adoption soon. Of course, we named her Sandy.

For more information about the ASPCA’s rescue and relief efforts during Sandy, please stay tuned to our blog and Twitter account.

UPDATE: Sandy has been adopted!