Good Morning,

Well, the good news is the River has at least crested and the water
will not rise any more. It was an amazing site to see.....and Joe and I
traveled to Smithville to see where little Jeffrey's home once stood. I
have never seen anything like that - ever. I cried both times.....the
sheer and utter devastations of Mother Nature. Some of the casinos in
hard-hit Tunica County are beginning to reopen but FEMA has told
residents and rescuers that it may be mid-June before most folks can
return to their property and begin the long yucky process of cleaning
and repair, that is if they can. Many folks have been warned by the
County and FEMA that it is a strong possibility that some properties
may be deemed uninhabitable and, therefore, lost. Can you think of
anything worse than loosing your home ... and then have no insurance
to cover your loss? So sad...so very sad and some of these people had
almost nothing to begin with.

We are on high ground and the River flooding did not affect us in
Hernando. However, Tunica County is the next county over and just about
15 minutes west of us on the River and some of poorest folks in America
live in Tunica County. Our repairs are sturdy and we should be fine
until SFarm takes care of our claims and we hire a contractor and begin
the repairs later in the summer. Contractors are at a premium right now
and we can wait and have more of a selection later on. So, that is our
story.

The Red Cross called me Tuesday. A deputy with the Tunica Sheriff's
Office, found a little white ferret on the banks of the River near the
town of Tunica and brought it to the Olive Branch emergency shelter and
they sent it directly to a local vet who is caring for some pets that
officials have found along the flooded areas. I found Jason and we met
near the River and he was nice enough to show me where he found the
little guy - I feared there may have been another or maybe two. There
were many many homes there -- all under at least 5-8 feet of water,
some almost completely submersed and all you saw was the roofs and some
of the windows. Thankfully, the Sheriff and FEMA were patrolling these
areas daily (on foot and in boats) and had picked up several people
and animals - some wild, some pets -- from these areas and brought them
to safety. I later found out that initially people who were orderd to
evacuate were also told that they could leave their belongings and
small animals (with extra food and water) on the second floors of their
homes if they had them. ...Really! Are you kidding me!.... Aaaaahhhh!
Many people helped me search that area and no other ferret was
found...found some snakes! But no fuzzie.

Needless to say I have spoken to some officials about changing that
plan in future evacuation instructions. I was worried that our little
friend may have escaped his confinement and by the grace of God made
it to dry land and his buddies were still in some flooded out home
somewhere desperately needing rescue. The deputies and FEMA workers
will continue to look for more and I will hear about it should they
find anymore. He's not talking and we have no earthly idea how he got
there and where he came from. Could be a dumping....just don't know
yet but he is listed as a found pet with the Red Cross and with local
shelters in hopes someone will claim him.

The little ferret was quarantined and received fluids and meds for URI.
I understand that he is much much better and I can take him to the
shelter tomorrow before noon. There are many vets giving their time
and facilities to assist disaster and flooding victims' pets and this
little guy clearly qualifies and there is no charge to the shelter. I
am returning him in 10 days for checkup and vaccinations unless he is
returned to his owner by that time.

We are housing several ferrets of some flooding victims and will
continue to care for them for weeks to come. Adding one more.....

Of course, we still have Peetey and Zeke, Jeffrey's ferrets, and his
two doggies are at a local shelter and Joe and I are discussing
bringing them to the house....we have a great big backyard with chain
fence. They are indoor/outdoor doggies but we can manage, if needed.
Peetey and Zeke were also cared for by volunteer vets and have returned
twice for checkups. All at no charge to Raisins. We hope to have them
return one more time for vaccinations next week.

I think we have seen the worst of it .... time will tell who will be
reclaiming their pets and who will not...just like last year's massive
flooding.

The biggest concern is people will forget about these folks whose
lives have been devastated and changed forever because of tornados and
flooding. Please please do not forget about them.....without the Red
Cross many people have nothing and no one to help them rebuild their
lives. the local officials here and in Tuscaloosa fear America will
forget about them.

I have been asked by several people to outline how we do what we do as
a teaching tool for others....I can do that in a later post. This will
answer many of the questions some of you have asked me personally. I
promise to do that when I can.

In the meantime, please please put together an evacuation and emergency
kit for you and your pets. Lives depend on it and sometimes there is
very very little time to plan and assemble paperwork and necessary
items needed. Especially you shelter moms and dads out there. Prepare
now before its needed!

God bless you all.....!

Maren and Joe Qualls
Raisins From Heaven Ferret Rescue & Sanctuary
Hernando, MS

[Posted in FML 7069]