It goes without saying that pets took a major hit and loss during this,
the worst natural tragedy this great nation ever endured, and are still
enduring as it shall for decades.
 
Here in Virginia there are two places that are taking donations of pet
food and products for further delivery to those who need it in the
hurricane area.  Yet only a few of the pets survived where human life
itself came to the razors edge of total loss.
 
Some pets did survive, but the vast majority perished along with 100% of
the homes they lived in.  Is so very sad but human life needed to be
preserved during the extremely desperate efforts of those who survived,
and many did not.
 
Only a very small percent of pets survived.  Thousands of humans did not.
Those of us who reside far from this scene can only watch the news and
see fleeting glimpses of the horror everyone endured, and the horrors
they continue to endure.  No food or water for days, not even a dry place
to sit except on top of an almost totally submerged vehicle.  And they
sit on those vehicles for days.
 
I cry for those who are now experiencing such terrible loss of family,
friends and neighbors.  My heard sinks to an all time low for the total
loss of the 23d largest city in these United States.  I grieve for the
loss of all the pets that had to be abandoned in the most extreme
emergency this storm created.  It is more than sad, more than terrible.
This is a loss we will suffer for decades.
 
We can only learn from all this and by what happened can only make
preparations now for our own self and our pets to be ready for an
emergency.  We need to have a plan of what we will do to save ourselves
and then our pets.  On a normal day to day life these thoughts never
cross our minds, but here it comes to past as very real and something
we need to contemplate.
 
Do what you can to help our people, do what you can to help our furry
friends This is a tragedy by which all others will be measured against,
a sickening land mark that finally came to pass in a city that was
predicted to have this happen for decades.
 
Help!
 
Gordon, Rug Lumper and Mr. Clean
[Posted in FML issue 4990]