Cross post from New Orleans CL. This post tells what the rescuers need and where to go with it
New Orleans Animal Rescue in Peril,
Reply to: see below
Date: 2005-09-09, 3:34PM CDT
New Orleans Animal Rescue in Peril.
Help urgently required!
Contact: Dana Nesbitt (President)
Humane Society, LA
Cell: 901 268 4610 Email: humaneLA@cs.com
NEW ORLEANS, SEP 8, 2005. Despite the heroic efforts of volunteers and animal groups from both Louisiana and around the country, time is running out for the animals trapped in New Orleans, after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Help is desperately required to rescue animals trapped in the flooded ruins of New Orleans or roaming the streets in hungry packs.
Help is also urgently required to help care for the hundreds of animals rescued and located in shelters with no power or running water.
Here's how you can help!
-BOAT OWNERS! Boats are urgently needed. Flat bottomed boats, canoes, anything that can be used to travel around the flooded streets of New Orleans, and which is big enough to hold rescued animals. You must be able to transport the boat to the Louisiana SPCA (
http://www.la-spca.org /) shelter established at 9093 St. Landry Rd., Gonzales, LA 70737. HSUS volunteer Linda Nealon can be contacted at Gonzales on (225) 647 0712, but that line is very busy. Bring a boat and it WILL be used.
-ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL PROFESSIONALS. Anyone with professional animal rescue, control, veterinarians, vet techs - particularly those with water hazard training--would be extremely welcome to come help search and rescue animals from the hazardous flood conditions. Come to the Gonzales shelter.
- NEW ORLEANS NATIVES. We need people familiar with the backstreets of New Orleans to help navigate the backstreets of the City. Come to the Gonzales shelter.
- OWNERS OF LARGE TRUCKS: We need people, preferably with ‘official-looking" vehicles (flashing lights, the name of a rescue agency painted on the side will help rescuers navigate in the city) to help transport rescued animals out of New Orleans to Gonzales. Come to the Gonzales shelter.
- BRING SOME SUPPLIES! Gonzales desperately needs the following: water proof walkie talkies and flashlights, D batteries, insect repellent, sunscreen, waders, animal medical supplies, heavy duty gloves for handling wildlife, and containers full of gasoline. Bring them to Gonzales! They are urgently required.
-POST STUFF. The US Postal Service is supplying Gonzales again. Mail higher value, lower volume items to the shelter like meds, etc.
-CALM DOWN DISTRESSED PETS. Our rescued dogs are freaking out. If you can even just drop by for an afternoon with some dog treats, chew-toys and "greenies" and pet a few distressed pooches, and take some for a walk that would be a tremendous help.
The Humane Society of Louisiana, St. Francis Animal Shelter and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary are jointly operating a huge emergency shelter at 115 Obed Magee Rd., Tylertown, MS 39667, where rescued animals are cared for in the longer term, before being adopted.
-HELP US TRANSPORT animals from Gonzales to Tylertown. Bring large vehicles suitable for animal transport to Gonzales.
The Tylertown Shelter has hundreds of animals but hardly any volunteers to look after them. There is no electricity or running water. There are no landline phones. We desperately need helping hands. You cannot post supplies to Tylertown, as the US postal service has not resumed in the area.
-LOOK AFTER RESCUED PETS. Come down to Tylertown, but bring your own food, clothes, tents, medical supplies and enough gasoline to drive here and back home. Think of this as a camping expedition with a purpose. We do not have the resources to support volunteers. People with experience of caring for small mammals and exotics like spiders and birds are especially welcome.
-BRING YOUR CONTRACTOR SKILLS. We are trying to erect new portable buildings to house the vast number of animals being moved to Tylertown. We need people with the skills and tools to erect fences and buildings, wire up generators, etc.
-BRING BUILDING SUPPLIES, GENERATORS, GASOLINE etc. Anyone who can supply portable building kits, fencing etc., please bring it to Tylertown.
-WE NEED AIR CONDITIONING. If you have AC units which can run off generators and could bring them down help set them up that would vastly improve the miserable hot conditions for the distressed rescues.
-BRING SUPPLIES. At Tylertown we need walkie talkies, flashlights, D batteries, insect repellent, sunscreen, animal medical supplies, heavy duty gloves for handling wildlife, and containers full of gasoline.
The Humane Society of Louisiana"s Executive Director, Jeff Dorson is at Tylertown and he can be reached on his cell phone at 901-268-4432. However phone reception is patchy in Tylertown and Jeff is very busy.
PLEASE NOTE: We are desperately short of people, so anyone helping out must ensure that they can look after themselves, and have enough gasoline to get back home.
PLEASE HELP US BY DONATING:
The Humane Society website is now back online at
http://www.humaneLA.org and is ready to accept credit card donations.
Alternatively, send checks (made out to The Humane Society of Louisiana) to our emergency temporary office at P.O. Box 238, Sharon Center OH 44274.