Chere is unable to post, and has asked me to do so for her.
 
She and Larry keep finding more and more damage to their home.  It's been
raining for 19 hours straight, not a good thing when you've got roof and
mold problems.  They are still waiting on a FEMA package and the
insurance adjuster.
 
She asks that anyone who went through any of the three hurricanes
continue to check their homes for damage, they find more each day.
 
The ferrets are well, and she's holding on.  Larry's eye is better after
the bleach incident.
 
She is in need of lactated ringers, and I'm waiting to hear back from
her with more details, but a call has gone out for antibiotics to treat
wildlife rescues.  The vets at this point are willing to use recently
expired antibiotics to use on the fox and squirrels.
 
She also gave me some info to pass along, if you have roof damage, call
1-888-766-3258 (ROOF-BLU), and the Army Corp of Engineers will come to
cover your roof with a tarp.  This is a FREE SERVICE, you will not be
charged for the tarp or labor to put it up, and you will not need to
sign any contract.  You do not need to be present at the time th tarp is
installed as long as you sign a ROE form in advance.  In certain counties
tarps have been given to county officials to hand out to residents who
wish to install the tarp on their own.  (Sorry, the only ones I remember
off hand are Desoto, Lee, and Polk, but there were four or five others)
 
Also FEMA, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), can offer some assistence with tarps,
food, ice, water, etc.  Chere says to keep trying, and don't hang up, the
wait can be up to an hour for them to answer.
 
You can apply for unemployment, even if you are self-employed if the
storms have prevented you from working.
 
HSUS and EARS are both in the affected areas, and can assist with
supplies for your animals or emergency vet care.
 
This is Anne speaking now.  If you can, make a donation.  It's getting
pretty desperate.  Jackie might need to close Dook Nook and Chere is
barely, just barely holding on.  (If you remember one of my previous
posts, Chere hadn't eaten in a couple days and when she did get some food
it was MRE's from the National Guard.  She used her last money to make
sure her ferrets would have food.) You can donate directly to one of the
affected shelters, you can send a check to SOS and earmark funds for
hurricane relief, you can donate to the Red Cross, you can send supplies.
Even a dollar can make a difference.  Be sure to check and see if the
company you work for has a matching funds program.  That will double your
donation at no cost to you.
 
Also, not really ferret related, but the Florida animal shelters are
desperate for people to take on fostering a dog or cat.  They have had
thousands of family pets turned in because the family became homeless.
They are trying to find foster homes for these animals to live in until
their families can take them back.  If homes can not be found, the
animals will need to be euthanized.  Most of these are well-behaved,
housebroken animals.  If you can help, please get in touch with the
HSUS for more information.
 
Anne
[Posted in FML issue 4643]