We Were There

As the South and Midwest have struggled to cope with severe weather and the devastation it leaves in its wake, we’ve been keeping you informed about where we’re deployed and how we’re helping animals across the regions.

But, some of you have rightly asked, what are we doing to help Alabama’s animals as the state recovers from the worst tornado outbreak in U.S. history?

Here are a few highlights of our work for Alabama’s animals.

Grants
One ASPCA grant awarded in Alabama went to the state’s largest animal welfare organization. After receiving the $128,000 grant, the Greater Birmingham Humane Society (GBHS) was able to obtain an adoption and transport rig so it can better assist the state.

The rig will help GBHS head to other parts of Alabama—including hard-hit Tuscaloosa—to provide disaster relief. It will include space for animal transport cages, an on-board veterinary work space and room for the storage of pet care supplies.

“This rig will help us reach even more animals in need as we work to help the pets who have been affected by these devastating storms,” says GBHS Strategic Communications Officer Laura Golden.

Sheltering
Collaborating with our partnership network, the ASPCA has helped bring staff to Alabama’s overburdened shelter. In Tuscaloosa, the Saranac Technical Rescue Team has five responders at Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter, and the Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL) has also sent a team.

In addition to assisting with shelter management and daily care, WARL has taken animals back to Washington, D.C., for adoption, lessening the burden on Tuscaloosa.

Supplies
From our innovative distribution center located in Memphis, we supplied Alabama with pet food, crates, carriers, large fans, litter boxes and more. ASPCA volunteers and partners drove trucks to the state and unloaded supplies quickly, helping shelters in Alabama care for their animals in the aftermath of the tornadoes.

Stay tuned to ASPCA.org for more news on how we’re responding to this crisis in Alabama and elsewhere.

Last week we told you that the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response (FIR) Team deployed to locations in the South and Midwest to rescue and shelter animals affected by the tornadoes and flooding in the region. Here’s the latest on what our teams are doing, and how they’re preparing to accomplish as much as possible in the coming weeks.

- Pemiscot County, Missouri: ASPCA Midwest Director of Field Investigations and Response Kyle Held is heading up a sheltering mission in conjunction with the Caruthersville Humane Society. More than 80 animals, including a goat, are receiving care under this mission, and more are expected to arrive as flooding continues. Many animals have been removed from the area with the help of our shelter partners. At least 19 animals were rescued over the weekend, and more rescue missions are planned.

- Faulkner County, Arkansas: A team led by ASPCA Shelter Operations Manager Bonnie Dean is assisting with sheltering and conducting field assessments in Arkansas. The team canvassed a large area and handed out pet food to local residents, and roughly 100 dogs, 12 horses and three kittens are being sheltered in a rodeo arena.

- Shelby County, Tennessee: As the Mississippi River rises, evacuations in this area have increased. Led by ASPCA Southeast Direct of Field Investigations and Response Kathryn Destreza, the team here has been helping local organizations develop a plan for an emergency shelter in preparation for evacuation. Another team, along with PetSmart Charities (PMC), spent the weekend setting up a distribution center point in Shelby County. Three PMC trailers arrived loaded with food, sheltering supplies, 25,000 square feet of chain length fencing and crates for 2,300 animals.

“The ASPCA is extremely grateful for the collaboration between national and local agencies that combined efforts to help animals in need,” says Tim Rickey, senior director of ASPCA Field Investigations and Response. “The ASPCA and our partners, including Memphis Animal Services, the Humane Society of Memphis, PetSmart Charities, Code 3 Associates, American Humane Association, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Humane Society of the United States, are committed to a collaborative effort to help pet parents and animals impacted by the recent chain of natural disasters. We will continue to do everything we can to help these communities as long as we’re needed.”

Stay tuned to ASPCA.org for more breaking news from the field.

A team of three ASPCA shelter medicine experts and one veterinary representative from Texas A&M are traveling to Austin this week to spend two days at the Town Lake Animal Center (TLAC), assessing the shelter's programs and working with leaders to develop a plan for the future. TLAC is a city-funded, open-intake facility and ASPCA partner shelter. The visiting experts hope to gain insight into the shelter's daily operations and a holistic understanding of its programs.

"An on-site visit provides a chance to explore together with the shelter opportunities that may improve animal health and welfare and ultimately save more lives in Austin," says Dr. Miranda Spindel, ASPCA Director of Veterinary Outreach and one of the attending experts.

This week's assessment is being performed as part of TLAC's participation in the ASPCA Partnership program, a collaboration with communities and shelters nationwide to save more animals' lives. The program emphasizes reuniting lost pets with families, increasing adoptions, promoting spay/neuter solutions and supporting feral cats. As part of the program, all ASPCA partner communities receive assessments at no cost to the participants. The other Austin partners—Animal Trustees of Austin, Austin Humane Society and emanciPET—will receive their assessments later this year.  

For more information about the ASPCA's work in communities across the country, please visit ASPCA Partnerships online.

The ASPCA Field Investigations and Response Team arrived in Pike County, KY, following weekend storms that caused severe flooding and mudslides. The devastating rainfall is being blamed for multiple deaths, and a State of Emergency has been declared for the affected areas. As emergency evacuations and rescues continue, many families have been displaced from their homes—including hundreds of companion animals.

"Countless numbers of animals have been adversely impacted by the recent flooding and are in need of immediate care and housing," says Kyle Held, ASPCA Midwest Regional Director of Field Investigations and Response.

On July 20, at the request of the Pike County Humane Society, members of the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response Team were deployed to help with the crisis. The Team is currently working to transport shelter animals to a temporary location and making room for displaced pets. The ASPCA's new custom designed animal transport trailer is also on hand.

"Emergency transport will help ease the strain on the already full humane society," says Tim Rickey, ASPCA Senior Director of Field Investigations and Response. "We are grateful to be able to assist the Pike County Humane Society and to be in a position to provide aid for the animal victims."

Stay tuned to ASPCA.org for more details on this developing story.