Good Morning All,
Rather than reply to the individual emails, I am advising everyone who
is inquiring, and those of you who are wondering, what measures have
been implemented for rescue and care of the animals during and in the
aftermath of Hurricane Issac here on the coast of LA and MS.
Even though I was recovering from surgery, I had been in contact with
other rescues in this area last weekend and we began coordinating and
setting up the implementation of our local emergency
house/rescue/recovery program. As of yesterday, the local Red Cross
offices were on standby but our groups had been in contact with Red
Cross officials already set up all along the coastal region and with
the emergency management offices in Louisiana and Mississippi who were
coordinating with state officials and F.E.M.A. as well as communicating
with the Humane Society of South Mississippi and national animal rescue
groups such as the ASPCA, North Shore Animal League, and Best Friends
who all had mobile units either in place or en route to the MS and LA
coastal areas.
Several caravans of local folks were heading south yesterday with food,
supplies, and rescue equipment -- including 3 cage set ups for ferrets
from our rescue, complete with bedding, bottles, bowls, different
varieties of food, toys, treats...you name it, it went. We have really
been blessed to have those cages from F.E.R.R.E.T that came with the
DMK's soo many years ago. These cages are fabulous for emergencies and
have been used several times for this purpose. Those people will meet
up and coordinate with the rescue groups already in place at the
emergency centers set up by the emergency management officials. Our
local groups here will keep in contact with the folks on the coast and
I will update you all if and when any news of ferrets in need surfaces.
Sadly, we have gotten really good at this here in the mid-south over
the last 7 years. This coordination effort started with Katrina, then
Rita, and on and on ... and into last spring with all of the tornados
and flooding. It seems like its fallen into a routine - we've done it
soo many many times.
There have been several shelters set up in MS and LA for animals of all
kinds at no cost. The animal shelter I stay in contact with daily is
the big one at the Fairgrounds in Jackson, MS....they have everything
from livestock to birds....and I mean they have everything, including
a pair of ferrets. I am happy to report the ferrets are safe,
well-housed, and the owners are not far away.
On my way to work this morning, we saw several groups of utility trucks
from Tennessee, Missouri, and Illinois all heading south...and many
license plates from southern counties in MS and a few from Louisiana
heading north to Memphis fully loaded ....
So, now we just wait and pray everyone human and fuzzie got out in
time...thankfully, it appears most people got smart from the experience
7 years ago and left this time and took pets with them!!!
Respectfully submitted,
Maren Qualls
Raisins From Heaven Ferret Rescue & Sanctuary
Hernando, MS
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[Posted in FML 7533]
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