Floods can certainly be a devastating natural disaster and they are one that not only affect people and homes, they affect animals as well. In fact, there are many animals, including pets, that end up losing their lives when the families flee or are unable to go back to rescue them because of rising waters.
Unfortunately, the floodwaters have a way of hiding the devastation that is underneath them and the disaster is often not fully known. There are those who give hope, however, both to people and animals, and this is their story.
Josh Pettit has seen his fair share of hope and at times, it may be floating on the surface.
This occurred when he had his boat in the flood ravaged area near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Neighborhoods once stood in the area, but now only water could be seen.
Then he spotted a pair of eyes staring at him from the bushes. They had terror in them, and were barely above the surface of the waters.
This dog was treading water wildly to stay alive, as the floodwaters were 8 feet high. She was absolutely exhausted. When they got her in the boat, she just rested her head on his lap and cried.
That dog was Sadie, and she has now been reunited with her owner.
Pettit is part of a group of locals who are navigating the floodwaters to help any humans or animals they find.
“We pulled over 200 people off of roofs and probably 20 or more dogs and cats,” he says.
They are putting their lives at risk, but they feel that it is well worth the effort.
“I’m here because I’m a local and this is my community and local people,” he says. “We take care of one another down here.”
You will likely hear that from individuals in the area. It is the worst natural disaster since hurricane Sandy and at least 13 people have been killed. Thousands of more have been displaced.
There are 20 parishes underwater but many heroes are coming to the surface. They include individuals, such as Pettit. There are also names, such as Darrell Watson and Mike Anderson, who have been doing their share of saving dogs from the floodwaters.
These individuals see every life as worth saving.
Animal rescue groups and individuals who have an interest in saving animals are coming to the area. They are working together to help pets that needed to be evacuated from shelters that are now underwater.
According to Kathy Perra, director of Animal Rescue New Orleans, “We’re helping to get the animals to come out, getting them fostered, getting them in homes, getting them adopted.”
Rescue groups are saving literally thousands of pets that had to be removed from shelters and homes, both of which were destroyed. They are being hosted in temporary facilities.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” an emotional Perra explains. “It’s just devastating out there. There are parishes that have lost 60 percent of their homes or more. The people who are displaced, they have animals.
“When they were evacuated, people weren’t able to take their animals.”
They have also seen that pets are often the key to bringing hope and healing when disaster strikes.
“A lot of these areas don’t typically flood,” Perra explains. “There’s a lot of people with no flood insurance. My heart just goes out to them. What do you do?”
“What do you do when you lose your family member? Your animal is your family member,” she said. “People are frantically searching for them.”
ARNO has been working along with other groups to haul animals out of the shelters in the Baton Rouge area. They are also looking for individuals to shelter these animals.
“They’re looking for homes anyway,” Perra says. “And for those that are owned, that didn’t come from shelters, every effort is going to be made to try to find their owners.”
There are many other groups and organizations that have come to the area to help as well. They work together to assist these animals who are unable to help themselves.
“I’m just so amazed at the way people have stepped up,” Perra adds. “We’re getting such an outpouring from the public, from people who want to be volunteers.”
And just as floodwaters have a way of hiding the horrors below, so too must they recede and reveal the long road to rebuilding that lies ahead.
Perra says the most important work is yet to come.
“Everyone’s gung ho and ready to go now,” she says. “But there’s the aftermath. There’s going to be a lot of rebuilding that has to go on. These shelters are devastated. They’re either going to be completely nonexistent or very different.
“They need resources. They need people.”
Via: The DODO
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