Amy Dempsey posted on Sunday:
>From:    "Amy C. Dempsey" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Hurricane Georges
>My fuzzies and I need your hopes and prays.  We are preparing as fast as
>we can for Hurricane Georges, its a category 4 hurricane with winds of 150
>miles an hour, and the eye will pass over St. Croix sometime tomorrow.
 
Chere McCoy sent this update from U.S.  Storm Watch === from CNN.com =:
asking everyone to keep Amy and everyone on the islands in their thoughts
and prayers....
 
Packing howling winds and 20-foot (6-meter) seas, Hurricane Georges toppled
power lines, mangled trees and blew away roofs as families huddled in
shelters in St. Kitts, Antigua and other islands earlier Monday.  At 1
p.m.  EDT (1700 GMT), Georges' center was estimated near latitude 17.9
north and longitude 64.7 west, passing near St.  Croix, one of the U.S.
Virgin Islands, where all power was down.  Moving west-northwest at 16 mph
(28 kp/h), Georges packed hurricane-force winds of up to 110 mph (180 kp/h)
extending up to 85 miles (140 km) from the eye, mostly to the northeast.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned the storm winds --while
diminished from a monstrous 150 mph (240 kp/h) Sunday -- remained
"extremely dangerous."
 
Chere also asked for help for a shelter in Texas; since it's not directly
ferret related please email me if you would like the entire post
<[log in to unmask]>
 
From Chere McCoy, Director, Ferret Friends Disaster Response International
an urgent plea for ferret folks to help out this Texas shelter:
Ferret Friends Disaster Response International (FFDRI) Coordinators were
notified that FFDRI Status had changed from Disaster alert to DISASTER
RESPONSE for "Big Spring Humane Society" located at West Interstate 20,
Big Spring, Texas.
 
A very grave situation has developed in this area and FFDRI needs your
help to save these Children of Fur. ...this particular part of Texas has
suffered severe drought and extremely high temperatures.  The situation
evidently caused many of the people in the Southwestern Region of Texas to
abandon and/or turn over their dogs to the Big Spring Humane Society...On
the 30th of August 1998 there were 351 dogs in this shelter.  The shelter
has been working diligently to bring that count down (through fostering and
adoption). Currently there are 246 dogs in this shelter; the shelter has
been told that if at least 100 more of these dogs are not Fostered or found
homes by the beginning of October - these Children of Fur MUST BE KILLED:
the gravity of this situation demands that the Ferret Friends Disaster
Response International go to DISASTER RESPONSE status.
>
>What we need from you.   First and foremost are Foster Homes and adoptions
of these dogs.  Second are donations to help provide shelter and food for
them (they are a 501(c3) organization so all donations are tax deductible).
Thirdly, contact by phone, letters or E-mail any person you know in
Southwestern Texas whom can adopt or foster these Children of FUR. Finally
visit any and all DOG Chats on the world wide web (i.e., AOL, CompuServe,
etc.), tell them of the situation and BEG for help....
 
PHONE NUMBERS AND E-MAIL CONTACTS:
Big Spring Humane Society:
Phone:  915-267-7832  (contact person = "Fran") Fax 915-267-2457 >E-mail:
[log in to unmask]     or    [log in to unmask]
Address for donations (they are a 501(c3):  P.O. Box 823, Big Spring,
Texas 79721
 
For a list of things they need to keep them a NO-KILL SHELTER please
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
 
As a last note to all Ferret People receiving this message. Remember back
in 1996 when there were all the fires in Texas?  The Ferret people and Dog
people worked together, helped each other -- we WILL do it again.
PLEASE DON'T LET THE CHILDREN OR FUR DIE! Thank you all for your help
 
Chere McCoy
Director, Ferret Friends Disaster Response International
 
[Posted in FML issue 2440]