Good Morning All, Rather than reply to the individual emails, I am advising everyone who is inquiring, and those of you who are wondering, what measures have been implemented for rescue and care of the animals during and in the aftermath of Hurricane Issac here on the coast of LA and MS. Even though I was recovering from surgery, I had been in contact with other rescues in this area last weekend and we began coordinating and setting up the implementation of our local emergency house/rescue/recovery program. As of yesterday, the local Red Cross offices were on standby but our groups had been in contact with Red Cross officials already set up all along the coastal region and with the emergency management offices in Louisiana and Mississippi who were coordinating with state officials and F.E.M.A. as well as communicating with the Humane Society of South Mississippi and national animal rescue groups such as the ASPCA, North Shore Animal League, and Best Friends who all had mobile units either in place or en route to the MS and LA coastal areas. Several caravans of local folks were heading south yesterday with food, supplies, and rescue equipment -- including 3 cage set ups for ferrets from our rescue, complete with bedding, bottles, bowls, different varieties of food, toys, treats...you name it, it went. We have really been blessed to have those cages from F.E.R.R.E.T that came with the DMK's soo many years ago. These cages are fabulous for emergencies and have been used several times for this purpose. Those people will meet up and coordinate with the rescue groups already in place at the emergency centers set up by the emergency management officials. Our local groups here will keep in contact with the folks on the coast and I will update you all if and when any news of ferrets in need surfaces. Sadly, we have gotten really good at this here in the mid-south over the last 7 years. This coordination effort started with Katrina, then Rita, and on and on ... and into last spring with all of the tornados and flooding. It seems like its fallen into a routine - we've done it soo many many times. There have been several shelters set up in MS and LA for animals of all kinds at no cost. The animal shelter I stay in contact with daily is the big one at the Fairgrounds in Jackson, MS....they have everything from livestock to birds....and I mean they have everything, including a pair of ferrets. I am happy to report the ferrets are safe, well-housed, and the owners are not far away. On my way to work this morning, we saw several groups of utility trucks from Tennessee, Missouri, and Illinois all heading south...and many license plates from southern counties in MS and a few from Louisiana heading north to Memphis fully loaded .... So, now we just wait and pray everyone human and fuzzie got out in time...thankfully, it appears most people got smart from the experience 7 years ago and left this time and took pets with them!!! Respectfully submitted, Maren Qualls Raisins From Heaven Ferret Rescue & Sanctuary Hernando, MS [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML 7533]