team 2 animal relief journal
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The Oregon Humane Society was asked to send another team to help with Hurricane Katrina animal relief efforts in Louisiana. On September 22, the team landed in Louisiana ready to help. OHS's team includes: (as pictured) Jennifer Shirley (OHS Volunteer), Angie Steagall (OHS Animal Care Technician), Officer Mark Wells (OHS Humane Investigator), Lt. Randy Covey (OHS Lead Humane Investigator and Relief Team Leader on his 2nd "tour of duty"), Teri Williams (OHS Animal Care Technician), and Patti McKinney (OHS Volunteer). Be one of the first to read their story when you join the OHS community. By opting in to the OHS Rescue Alerts, you will receive updated information on the team's activities.
Melissa Seide Rubin, vice president of field and disaster services for the Humane Society of the United States, says the Oregon Humane Society -- nationally known for its animal care and search-and-rescue training -- was one of the first to receive the call for help. "We needed the very best to do these rescues," Rubin says. "The animals are scared and stressed and hungry." Oregonian front page – September 13, 2005
- Animal Rescue and Donation Information
- More information and some facts/figures
- Rescue Team Journal (9/3 - 9/18)
- OHS trying to bring pets back to Oregon
- Day 9, September 30, 2005 (team arrives home)
- Day 8, September 29, 2005
- Day 7, September 28, 2005
- Day 6, September 27, 2005
- Day 5, September 26, 2005
- Day 4, September 25, 2005
- Day 3 - September 24, 2005 (Rita hits)
- Day 2 - September 23, 2005
- Day 1 - September 22, 2005
Day 9
September 30, 2005
OHS's team is packing up and heading for home today. They arrived at Portland International Airport at 1 am due to flight delays. They brought home with them five dogs and two cats. Below are photos from their journey home. Click on photo to enlarge.
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| Randy with Rita | Checking the animals | In Minneapolis Airport |
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| Arrival at Portland | Gently loaded up | On their way to OHS |
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| Officer Wells with Jenny | Lt. Covey - home at last | |
Day 8
September 29, 2005
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(From Lt. Covey) Today was our last full day in New Orleans and the shelter at Lamar-Dixon Exp Center. Dave Pauli, incident commander for the HSUS, asked us to accompany the Russian film crew into the field so they could get footage of a team working to help the animals left behind in the massive evacuation. We also kept our eyes and ears open for any animals who may still be in houses while we went through a list of addresses where feeding stations were set up by OHS's 1st team or by others. We located one dog loose in the back yard and several cats running loose around various neighborhoods.
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What an honor to be chosen to represent OHS and HSUS for this team of foreign journalists doing a story on the way Americans respond to the needs of animals in a disaster! Although there were some minor language barriers, it was clear they were impressed with the volume of volunteers who showed up to help and also by the organization of such a large operation--a true reflection of the way the animal welfare community comes together in an emergency.
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We made a connection with these new friends from Russia and maybe even helped in a small way to forward the message that animal welfare and human welfare are linked in many ways. From giving animals a chance at survival to helping owners have hope that their animals were rescued to recognizing that sometimes when people have lost everything else, their companion animal can bring peace and comfort to them.
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When we returned to Lamar Dixon late in the afternoon we began the process of getting approval for transporting a few animals out of the shelter to take back to Oregon. The ASPCA and HSUS, in conjunction with the Louisiana State Dept. of Agriculture, developed an application process that requires references, a veterinary recommendation, and agreement to follow the requirements of returning pets back to their owner if a match is made. On Friday we will get the paperwork completed, load up the lucky animals who will accompany us on the commercial airplane, and head off to the airport for our flight home.
The Humane Society of the United States, as the lead national non-profit organization responding to address the animal issues in New Orleans, has worked wonders managing a myriad of issues in the wake of this unprecedented disaster. The Louisiana SPCA has impressed us all with their dedication to their City and their professionalism under extreme conditions. Their calm willingness to work with a wide range of field staff streaming in to help with field operations has helped to set an example for others in the animal welfare profession. The Oregon Humane Society and all the other organizations that have played a supporting role, responding from all across the country, can take pride in the fact that nothing on this scale would have been possible without their time, experience, and willingness to pitch in. It has been a long but rewarding eight days for this team from OHS, and those of us who had the privilege of lending a hand will always remember the details of our assignments here with the knowledge that in various small ways we were able to make a difference for the animals.
Day 7
September 28, 2005
(From Officer Wells) We all started day 7 without any real idea what the day would bring. Like most things around here, that changed quickly and before we knew it, we had our assignments. Angie and Terri were assigned to help a veterinary group in one of the main barns, assisting with vaccinations and what is called “Vetting” an animal. This basically means the animal has been properly screened and is ready to be moved out of the shelter. Angie and Terri both jumped on the assignment since they are very skilled animal handlers and looked forward working in a different capacity within the shelter. Randy and I were assigned to the “Special Operations” team – a fancy title that meant we would help the Incident Command Center with tasks as they came up.
Before we even started with our assignment, our first priority was to obtain one of the most sought after items in this entire operation – a golf cart. It’s hard to realize from the pictures, but this facility is huge and it can take 10-15 minutes to go from one end to the other. After a short time we found a golf cart and quickly marked it with high hopes that no one would take it. Turns out one key will start almost every cart, and sure enough we lost it for several hours later in the day. Back to the start of the day when we had the cart. Randy and I checked in with the “export team” and found out they were getting preparations in order to ship a large number of dogs out later tonight, so we needed to find enough kennels and cages for them. After some searching, we found over a 100 kennels and clearly marked them for the export team. We met Angie and Terri for a quick lunch in one of our rental cars (to sit in the a/c of course and try to cool down), and soon were alerted for another assignment. Angie and Terri returned to their barn and continued giving their dogs expert treatment, while Randy and I discovered we were needed to give a group from the media a tour of the facility.
It turned out we had four reporters from the Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, and they were working on two different segments involving the hurricanes and the shelter operations. We met a delightful lady by the name of Anna (that’s a long A, she politely corrected us), who is the Chief Editor, and her three colleagues. They were simply amazed at how much effort was being put into saving all these animals and would love a tour.
We toured most of the barns, stopping frequently so they could film all the cute and adorable creatures. First it was to the dog barns, where they were met by hundreds of wagging tails, then on to the cats, fish, and exotic animals. Anna’s jaw dropped when she peered into a horse stall to see dozens of snakes, iguanas, and fish. She had never heard of anyone keeping snakes or any reptiles, for that matter, as pets. While on the tour, they met a couple who were desperately searching for their cats.
Randy and I spent most of the afternoon touring the facility with this crew and explaining all the shelter’s operations. Who would have guessed we would fly all the way to Louisiana and end up spending the day with four Russians? We ended our tour and were able to find four cots in the FEMA tent for Anna’s film crew to spend the night. They all were sleeping in their one rental car, and after getting over some small language barriers, they were all excited to learn there were showers and they’d be sleeping in the air conditioning.
Before I head to bed, I have to share some wonderful quotes from volunteers we encountered in barn 5 (our old stomping grounds) while with the Russian news crew. After Randy asked if he still planned on staying two months, Al, my section leader replacement, replied, “You bet! I just spoke with my wife and we got the car payments deferred for two months, so I can definitely stay.” I’m also happy to report my former section looked organized with nothing but happy and calm dogs. Mike, another volunteer assigned to barn 5, stopped us while walking a dog and asked how he could become a Humane Investigator, since he had his undergraduate degree in Police Administration. He continued, “I’m tired of simply increasing the stock value of some shareholder, I want to work for these animals.” I had a difficult time translating the word “volunteer” to Anna, but eventually she understood that all these hundreds of people walking around drenched in sweaty clothes with bright red faces were here working simply out of the kindness of their hearts and free of charge. Her face smiled as she commented, “What an amazing thing, all these kind people.” She was happy her film crew was here and could share this story with the rest of the world. As tonight ends, our team has been here a full week; so far it’s been an incredible week to say the least.
Day 6
September 27, 2005
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(from Lt. Covey) I called today "The Big Easy" after turning over management of Barn 5 last night to other capable volunteers. Two members (Patti and Jennifer) of our team are flying home to Portland this afternoon from the New Orleans airport. In their honor, we got some much needed rest by "sleeping in" until about 7 am. Refreshed, we loaded up our two rented SUV's with pet food and water, anticipating a brief day in the field providing for stray animals on our way to the airport. Although it was an unexpected opportunity, I jumped on the chance to share with the team where the need for emergency animal sheltering originated; in the City of New Orleans where so many animals were left behind to fend for themselves. After driving the hour or so it takes to get to New Orleans from Gonzales and going through the appropriate check points, we made our way back to a neighborhood previously visited by OHS.
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The primary goal of this current team was to care for the animals at the shelter who were previously rescued from the devastation; however, making this trip back into the affected neighborhoods is a unique opportunity for OHS staff to experience and learn the best ways to respond in any similar situation that may occur in our own back yard. Learning all the different facets of emergency response will help OHS teams continue to improve and enhance our own skills--perhaps ensuring that Oregon may be a little better prepared for a disaster on a small or large scale.
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As we found new animals to help in the field today (by providing some TLC along with the food and water), we also visited addresses where the OHS Rescue Team previously left food and water. We were able to send Patti and Jennifer home with a well-rounded view of the Hurricane Katrina (and Rita) response and they will be a great resource for OHS operations in the future! Mark, Terri, Angie, and I will start tomorrow (Wednesday) with new challenges and projects as we continue to assist this massive emergency response operation for our remaining time here in Gonzales.
Day 5
September 26, 2005
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(From Officer Wells) Today was our team’s final day in charge of Barn 5, and it was another busy, crazy day. The weather has turned back to what our first team experience – hot, hot, and more hot. Rita brought some badly needed relief to the humid weather, but today it’s full sunshine. We started our morning by digging through a huge box of power bars that serves as breakfast and gathered for our 8 am barn meeting. Once again, dozens of volunteers showed up eager to work their hearts out. Everyday we get some new volunteers, and now that Rita has passed, volunteers are beginning to show up in greater force. I’m the team leader for section two, and have Patti and Jennifer as well as some great volunteers assigned to me. Each of the four team leaders created a system they feel works best, and after four days, section two was working like a fine tuned Swiss watch. Well, maybe a high quality Japanese model.
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Each day brings so many different situations and it has been a great experience taking dozens of volunteers from all over the country with a wide range of animal handling experience and getting them to all work together. We have about 50 dogs in section two, mainly pit bulls, and the work is dirty and confined. I split my volunteers into groups of two, and they each take turns walking a dog while the other cleans the kennel, changes the water, and serves breakfast or dinner. Patti and Jennifer have been great, and my job is so much easier having them on my team. We finish the morning shift around noon, and everyone had a few hours to rest before doing this all over again for the dinner shift.
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During lunch today, we found out today was our final day in barn 5. Randy was passing the torch to another volunteer, and new team leaders were found. Our mission during the dinner shift was to train our replacements in hopes of keeping our barn running smoothly and allowing the dogs to receive the best care possible until this entire shelter is no longer needed. I spent the majority of the shift working with Al (I never got his last name) from Southern California, who is taking over my section. He told me he plans on staying here for two months or as long as is needed. I felt good about leaving the barn tonight in Al’s capable hands. We have decided that we’re all on “dog” time down here, so one day feels like seven, so I wish Al good luck. After another four hours or so of serving dinner (with fresh pig’s ears for dessert), we all packed up our cots and broke down our camp in the horse stalls and headed out for a team dinner.
We said our good-byes to all our fellow barn workers and made one last pass through the aisles to wish our dogs good luck. I keep telling myself and my team to not get attached to any of the animals, but it is inevitable. Other than a few escape artists, who bent their cages and tried to sprint out of the barn, our dogs were social, happy, and always eager to see us for their walks.
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Today ended with a nice surprise, our FEMA tent was reconstructed complete with air conditioning. I’m typing this in our rental truck parked just outside of about 250 volunteers sound asleep in that tent after another hard day. I am constantly amazed by how many people have and are continuing to come here and work 12-14 hour days in this heat and with these living conditions. Our team is doing well, and even though our bodies ache and move pretty slow, our spirits are high. It’s our last night with Patti and Jennifer, we will miss their hard work and funny jokes. They fly home tomorrow afternoon. It’s time to hit that air conditioned tent and finally get a decent night’s sleep to prepare for tomorrow’s challenges. The rest of the OHS team, which is remaining through Friday, will be assigned to special projects by the Incident Command Center. In fact Randy was moved up to the ICC to work with Dave Pauli of the HSUS directly.
Day 4
September 25, 2005
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(From Lt. Randy Covey) Wow! What an awesome team OHS sent to work at the animal shelter here in Louisiana! I can’t begin to describe how hard they are working to make sure the animals placed in our care are getting everything they need to be safe and comfortable under the circumstances. Every day I hear comments like “Oregon Rocks” and “Oregon has an amazing team”. When I was asked to manage barn 5 at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center I didn’t hesitate, because I knew with Mark, Angie, Patti, Jennifer, and Teri to help, we would be able to turn this barn around. OHS continues to build on our reputation as a leader in the animal welfare field with the dedication and compassion of these employees and volunteers.
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Today we started to get more volunteers showing up to help, after cutting back to essential staff only through the wrath of Hurricane Rita. Although the day started with strong winds and rain, the weather quickly improved and by this afternoon we were starting to experience the heat and humidity of past weeks.
We have implemented a good system of cleaning, feeding, walking, and caring for the dogs in barn 5 that is starting to be implemented in the other barns full of animals rescued from the disaster areas. The barn 5 team meetings we conduct are visited by self-described “spies” from the other barns who want to learn our secret…little do they know that successful barn management is based on having a great core staff to begin with!
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Our barn is divided into 4 sections each with a team leader. Mark has been a team leader since the beginning. This morning Teri was placed in a leadership role as well and has been working hard to make sure her area is in tip-top shape. Team leaders are expected to manage people more than animals, and this can be quite a challenge given the diversity of volunteers that show up to help. Patti and Jennifer established themselves as caring care-givers, and Angie has impressed those working with her as a knowledgeable, hard working professional who applies common sense to her decisions and works hard to support her team and get the work done.
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Last night (Saturday) we had several dogs brought in late at night and it was no problem finding clean kennels for them because the team leaders had planned ahead for just such an occasion. Most of these dogs looked so healthy I couldn’t help wondering if they had been “rescued” out from under their owners’ watchful eyes! We have several dogs with health issues, of course, but there is a great veterinarian assigned to our barn who has been a great resource and advisor for emergency shelter management. She gave us direction on proper feeding, exercise, and basic care and validated our procedures. Since we have been operating under adverse weather conditions, it is nice to know we are doing everything possible to keep our charges safe.
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This afternoon we were able to work some extra walking time in for the dogs, and while we need to tweak it a little bit for tomorrow, these extra walks have helped provide some extra relief for the many dogs who spend so much time confined to their kennels. While the feeding and cleaning times become what we have come to call “organized chaos”, it isn’t long before we return to what we call the “barn of tranquility”. When the barn is quiet and you can stroll through the aisles and see dogs sleeping in various positions or looking at you with a calm expression, you know they feel safe.
It has been a long day. Even though the field rescue teams started bringing animals in from the field again we found time to finally take the OHS team out to dinner for a well-deserved short break from the constant hustle and bustle of barn life. As we ate and talked about our time here so far, Mark said it best when he commented that it isn’t exactly fun, but it is an amazing experience to be involved in such a huge animal rescue and care operation. We are halfway through our tour here with this team, and as we start to look for others to take over for us when we leave, I can’t help but think about the fact that the Oregon Humane Society has again set a high standard and great example for others to follow!
UPDATE on Daisy, from Day 3 (submitted by OHS Volunteer Patti McKinney): After seeing Daisy the next morning (Sunday) in the Vet Barn, bringing her a big soft bed to sleep in, giving her a nice walk and fresh air, we went working our morning shift in Barn 5. Later that afternoon, we took our break to go see Daisy again in the Vet Barn. She wasn't in her normal spot, and in fact, even her cage was gone. Now they move the dogs around a lot, depending on the level of care they need, so we went looking for her. After spending about 30 looking into all the kennels in two big barns, we start asking the vet techs, the docs, and the barn managers where she might be. After many conversations with people, we finally found the right person. Thank goodness we had the ID number, or it would have been impossible. At first they thought they sent Daisy to LSU's Vet Tech facility for extra special attention, but they weren't sure, and she wasn't on this special list. And then the real result. She had Parvovirus and had to be put to sleep just a few hours ago. In the best of circumstances, Parvo is a very difficult disease to treat and under these trying times it can be nearly impossible. We were heartbroken but understood. We've only known Daisy for a couple days, but you can't help but fall in love. She was only about 4-5 months old. We do know that we gave her all our love and attention and made her last days on earth comfortable and full of our love. Now she's in a happy doggy heaven, not sick, not scared nor wet, and sleeping in a huge feather bed surrounded by all our love, smelling daisies.
Day 3
September 24, 2005
(From OHS Volunteer Jennifer Shirley) Wow! I have never had so little sleep and felt this full of energy; I can’t promise that I will be articulate, so bear with me.
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Last night, which was Friday (9/23), I think, we were expected to receive a pretty good hit from Rita. The shelter went to “essential emergency personnel” only. The OHS team agreed we would stay the night to look after the dogs in Barn 5. Randy (Barn Supervisor) had to make the tough choice of selecting a few additional volunteers, out of many who wanted to stay and help. Everyone else was sent away in buses to stay in churches, hotels, and wherever was safe. Barn 5 staff was down to about 19 people - to care for 215 dogs! We were told the brunt of Rita would pass sometime between midnight and 7 am (Saturday morning). All our cars were brought under cover and set up as mini hotel rooms, not the most comfy ones at that. The dogs were never left alone as we had two-person shifts all night to keep an eye on our k9 buddies. During one of his walk throughs of the barn, Randy was pleased to see that many of the dogs were curled up sleeping soundly while the storm was passing overhead.
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After a day of multiple tornado warnings, hard rain, and wind we weren’t sure just how much worse it would get. Well, let’s just say that the rain on the roof of Barn 5 was deafening and sideways most of the night. The wind was howling and all I could think of was The Wizard of Oz and the SUV Patti and I were sleeping in becoming a little Tonka toy in the swirl of a major updraft. Perhaps I could finally get some of those darn ruby slippers! After a much needed hot shower, we all slid into our hotel rooms on wheels and hunkered down for the night, after setting alarms for our scheduled shifts. I don’t really think there was much sleeping going on, but it felt good just getting our socks and boots off for awhile and getting horizontal. We are located right next to the horses and several of them got a bit disturbed by the sounds of the wind, rain, and thunder and started to whiney and thrash around their stalls which added to the eeriness of the night.
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We all made it safely through the night and awoke to, what a surprise, another meeting. Our barn is extremely organized and calm, which helps the dogs stay much calmer. I have to attribute this organization to Randy’s management skills and leadership. He was yanked away from Barn 5 today to go help two other barns that were lacking in leadership and not fairing as well. I have been so impressed with how well our OHS team is working together. I’m so honored to be here with each of them.
It’s getting late and I’m finding it more and more difficult to make sense, but I do want to end with my story of Daisy (the name I have given her). She is a 5 month-old Pit Bull (note that Pit Bulls make up the bulk of Barn 5’s canine population) who is small for her size and covered in some kind of skin condition that probably makes her uncomfortable. Last night I became worried about her. I noticed she hadn’t eaten, was listless, and shivering, although it was warm. I kept an eye on her and when Julie Keppes DVM from Montana arrived on the scene, I had her look at Daisy. She said that out of Barn 5’s 200 plus dogs, Daisy was the only one in seriously bad shape. I continued to monitor Daisy throughout the day and felt her condition was deteriorating. The word from the VMAT (the vet clinic here at the shelter) was that they were not taking any more dogs for vet care, no exceptions. Well, I got a VIP escort in a golf cart to VMAT with Daisy riding on my lap at which point they agreed to take her in and take care of her! Yippee! I will be making trips over there to check on her myself as I have grown quite fond of this little girl. As a matter of fact, I’m going to check on her right now. Good night, all you animal lovers out there.
Day 2
September 23, 2005
OHS staff stays put - riding out Rita's wrath while caring for the animals from Katrina.
Team leader Randy Covey reports (this morning at 10:20 am) that the shelter is ready for what Rita may be bringing to the Gonzales area. They have done their best to prepare the barns. No animals will be transported out of the shelter to other states until after Rita has passed. While Gonzales proper may be evacuating, the Lamar Dixon temporary animal shelter will remain in operation. OHS's staff is not evacuating; they are staying in place in Barn 5 to continue to care for the animals who need them.
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(From OHS Volunteer Patti McKinney) At 6:30 am our alarm clock goes off. Not just any alarm clock, but an announcement from the PA system of a police car – “This is an evacuation. Leave the tent (aka the ‘FEMA Hilton’) immediately.” Imagine 150+ people jumping out of their cots in a “calm frenzy” to get ready quickly to leave. Now, these are the volunteers, including our awesome team of six from OHS (Jennifer, Angie, Teri, Mark, Randy, and me), who are being told to evacuate. A hurricane watch was in place, as Rita was rearing her ugly head after making a turn northeast towards poor Louisiana. The “sideways” rain and howling wind were already starting for the day. Holy moley!
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At 7:30 am standing in the drenching rain (beats Oregon’s rain hands down!) at one of many meetings for all personnel, the HSUS staff said today was another day with yet another agenda. Now it wasn’t just the animals we need to worry about, it was the people here to help the animals as well who could be in trouble. We knew the team of animal care volunteers was going to be carved down to the bare minimum so we limited the risk to the humans. FEMA was bussing the vast majority of the shelter volunteers out to various human shelters, churches, and homes in order to protect lives. An emergency situation in an emergency situation, as Randy would say. Those multiple calls to seek protective cover in the brick-built bathrooms during the tornado alerts would make this an emergency, I would say.
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You need to know that the horses, cats, dogs and other animals are being kept in five huge open air barns with easy access to all sorts of wind, rain, and other excitement. No place for people. The animals would be protected, but people wouldn’t be. So our team is pared down to only 12 of us taking care of about 215 dogs in Barn 5. We’ll be staying here, in Barn 5, tonight through Sunday, as the FEMA Hilton was taken down due to the storm coming. Kind of surreal, really. Like right out of movie – like “Twister.”
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It is only 3 pm as I write this, but we have already put in a very full day. At 8 am Barn Leader Lt. Covey splits Barn 5 (GO Team! Barn 5 Rocks!) into four quadrants (just like the kennels at OHS), assigns quad leaders who then pick their teams (kind of like being picked, or not picked, on your Jr. High School P.E. class). My buddy, Jennifer (another OHS volunteer), and I teamed up in one quad with some other super volunteers - from Alabama, Kansas, Boston, and two great gals from Seattle. We go to work to figure out what needs to be done. Lots of poop to pick up, lots of water to be distributed, and of course, the morning feeding. Anxious dogs looking to us for care. Lots of fierce rain and howling wind to dodge on our quick doggie walks.
We try hard to focus on the job at hand, which is the minimal level of animal care, since there are SO many animals. But I can’t help but be affected by one dog in particular – Chester (I gave him his name, of course, since they don’t know their names). Seeing so many wonderful pit bulls (who are not fixed) in one place has got to touch you (Barn 5 is mostly “challenging” breeds). Such sweet loving dogs, put under so much stress. Chester, the brown pit bull, looked into my eyes and almost started crying, so, of course, I cried for both of us. His ears had been cropped back so badly by his previous missing owner that it looked like he didn’t have any ears. We took a nice quick walk (to poop and pee outside the kennel) and I know that time with Chester made his day a little bit better….his eyes told me after he was returned to his crate with a nice towel to lay on and a fresh bowl of water. He sat down and slept. I just cried some more. But, it was a happy cry, because I know I did something to make his day a little more comfortable. And mine, too. We did good.
Day 1
September 22, 2005
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(from Officer Mark Wells) After missing out on our team’s first tour of duty to help the animals affected by Hurricane Katrina, I was ready and eager to get down to the Gulf Coast and get working. Randy and I headed to Portland International Airport, said our goodbyes to our wives, and caught the red-eye to New Orleans’ newly opened airport on Wednesday night. Yes, after a long three day rest, our fearless leader, Lt. Covey, is leading OHS’s second “Tour of Duty” helping HSUS with their huge animal relief effort. Randy and I arrived to a very different New Orleans airport, which is slowly beginning to get busy again as relief workers, military personnel, contractors, and animal welfare workers arrive from every corner of the country.
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Our first mission of the day was to rent our two sport utility trucks; unlike the first marathon trip to the Gulf Coast, we would be without our trusty investigation’s trucks. Randy and I had several hours before the four remaining members of the new team arrived, so we decided to go downtown and tour the city. After watching Katrina’s path of destruction on the nightly news, it was an emotional drive through the deserted neighborhood streets still covered in debris.
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We checked in with the Emergency Incident Command center in the heart of downtown, where we were met with swarms of incoming soldiers and law enforcement personnel. On our way back to the airport, we swung by some of the houses Randy and the first team visited to feed and water animals left behind. To our joy, all the dogs had been retrieved by their owners or by other teams following up on our first team’s reports. And we also found out that while the OHS Rescue Team was driving back to Portland, HSUS sent more rescue teams into St. Bernard to the High School to help the dogs OHS's team discovered and documented. (Update - OHS did obtain information that HSUS lead rescue teams removed the animals from the high school and are either at the temporary animal shelters or back with their owners.)
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Our four remaining team members arrived (Teri, Angie, Patti, and Jennifer), and we headed straight for the main animal shelter in Gonzalez. On arrival found a few empty cots in a large disaster tent kindly set up by FEMA (it even has air conditioning). With another hurricane barring down on this area, difficult decisions are constantly being discussed by those in charge of this massive shelter and rescue operation.
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We all gathered for a meeting at 6:30 pm and we were told that due to Rita hitting landfall sometime tomorrow morning, our wonderful tent was to be dismantled at 8 am tomorrow morning and those who chose to stay would help to protect our sheltered animals as best we can while weathering out the store.
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Our team was assigned barn number 5, with Randy being crowned “Barn Manager”. We have some 25 or so workers assigned to this one barn, and we spent the next 6 hours cleaning the outside – looking for any loose debris and tending to the hundreds of dogs in our care. As one of HSUS head personnel reminds us all, “We have a simple task, but a huge amount of work.”
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It’s about 12:30 am and the team has made their way to their cots for a well deserved night of sleep. We are all proud to represent OHS on our second “Tour”, and have already met dozens of amazing volunteers and animal welfare professionals, who have given up weeks of vacation and made many sacrifices to give these rescued animals simply a chance. The shelter is constantly changing and decisions change almost by the hour, but I am amazed by the high morale and energy of everyone I’ve met.
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We all hope Rita will be kinder to us all, for this region of the country has been through so much. But should she hit us hard, we have positioned RV’s and large trucks around the perimeter of the shelter to protect our animals and allow us to provide them with care throughout whatever the storm brings.
