From the Ferret Emergency Response, Rescue and Evacuation Team (F.E.R.R.E.T., ferretemergency.org) UPDATE ON THE FERRET SHELTER IN JOPLIN, MISSOURI, EFFECTED BY THE TORNADO Join our Facebook page for minute to minute updates about the situation in Joplin and how you can help: http://www.facebook.com/pages/FERRET/230382286975927 We have been contacted about the ferret shelter located in Joplin, Mo. and are currently working on getting them supplies. Stacey Lamb from the Kansas City Ferret Hotline is going to drive to Joplin, MO. tomorrow morning. Stacey has spoken to the shelter owner, who told her that the area has been sealed off. Her house is not damaged, but they have no utilities and no water. Stacey is bringing food, water and supplies with her. When the authorities seal off an area after a disaster, the only people allowed in are emergency personnel and charity/rescue organizations with the proper disaster certifications from FEMA. Stacey has offered her home as a refuge for the shelter operator and her ferrets, but the shelter has declined. I can understand this as she does not seem to be piped into the ferret community and doesn't know any of us. I wouldn't let some stranger take my ferrets either. Just another reason why it is SO important for us to get to know the shelters within our state and to network with each other. And please, let's not judge this person's decisions. You never know how you'd react in such a difficult and stressful situation. If it turns out that Stacey cannot enter Joplin, we will need to find a place to deposit the supplies in hopes that the shelter will be able to pick them up. At this point, we don't even know if the shelter operator has a vehicle or not with which to pick up the supplies. Assuming she does, do any of you know a person or a business on the outskirts of Joplin (as close as we can get) that can hold these items for pick up? We have contacted the larger, nationwide animal rescue groups (like Noah's Wish) and asked for assistance in getting volunteers into the area to help this shelter and any other local ferret owners who need assistance. We are contacting some of our volunteers that have all of their disaster certifications to see if they would be available to help, if needed. Basically, we're in a holding pattern right now trying to get more information. There is a lot of misinformation starting to be passed around so please --- sit tight and wait to hear from us. If we all work together, our efforts and donations will go a LOT farther than if we run around, bumping into each other, repeating the same tasks over and over again. While we wait for more information, this seems like the appropriate time to remind folks that we should all have a disaster preparedness kit with items like a 50 gallon (food rated) drum (or two) filled with water and a pump or siphon, extra ferret AND people food, an emergency weather radio and lots of other items too. If you shelter in place, you MUST be able to make it at least a couple of days before assistance can reach you. Getting supplies into an afflicted area can be very difficult and time consuming. For those of you going to the symposium in Phoenix, F.E.R.R.E.T. will be doing a disaster preparedness workshop for shelters (non-shelter people are welcome too) on Friday evening. We will also be scheduling more workshops in the coming months so stay tuned. Thank you for your help and support. We will pass along any information we get asap. Lisa Oestereich F.E.R.R.E.T. Ferretemergency.org [Posted in FML 7073]