St. Hubert's deploys team to assist in Hurricane Ida relief efforts
Read our most recent rescue updates below and if you can, please help and donate today. Donors like you make our lifesaving work possible.
St. Hubert's Receives Emergency Flight of Animals from Louisiana
St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center has received an emergency transport of adoptable animals evacuated from Louisiana shelters following Hurricane Ida. The rescue mission arrived at Morristown Airport today (9/1), as the remnants of Ida swept through New Jersey.
Over 70 animals were on the Greater Good Charities flight from Lafayette, LA to Morristown, New Jersey. The transport will help free up space in Louisiana shelters for animals who were injured or displaced after Sunday’s storm.
Soon the dogs and cats will be available for adoption and find new loving homes on the east coast. Organizations taking on the evacuated animals include St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center, Humane PA, Pennsylvania SPCA, Liberty Humane Society, Monmouth County SPCA and Delaware Humane Association.
The animals came from Acadiana Animal Aid, St. Charles Parish, St. Martin Parish Animal Services, Lafayette Animal Shelter and Care Center, Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter, St. John Parish Animal Shelter and Iberville Parish Animal Shelter and Control in Louisiana.
As families lost their homes or were evacuated, Louisiana shelter partners have reported an influx of pets entering their doors. Not only does transporting out animals who were in shelters prior to the storm give those animals new adoption opportunities in the Northeast, but it also helps ensure operating shelters have the capacity to care for animals who were displaced by the storm until they can be reunited with their families.
“In the animal welfare community, when disaster strikes, we’re all in it together,” said Colleen Harrington, Director of St. Hubert’s WayStation Program. “Today’s transport of animals who were already in shelters prior to the storm will allow our Louisiana partners to free up resources and space so they can help displaced pets in their communities.”
In addition, St. Hubert’s and its parent organization, the Humane Rescue Alliance, sent a disaster response team to New Orleans, after receiving a call for help from the Louisiana SPCA.
The emergency response in Louisiana comes shortly after a flash flood took the lives of at least 20 people and destroyed over 270 homes in Waverly, Tennessee. The shelter in Waverly, Humphreys County Humane Society, was overwhelmed with pets in need of emergency sheltering. St. Hubert’s stepped up to assist its partner in Waverly, arranging the transport of 37 already adoptable dogs to New Jersey on Monday (8/30).
We are so grateful to be able to help, but responding to multiple disasters in one month puts a serious drain on our resources and we need your support. You make our lifesaving work possible, and give hope to families faced with disaster. If you can, please donate today.
UPDATE: September 2, 2021
On Wednesday, our Disaster Response Team was responding to animal control calls in Orleans Parish when a concerned resident flagged them down, alerting them to a dog who was trapped underneath a collapsed shed. Our team and officers with the Louisiana SPCA rushed to the scene, where they found a scared dog chained inside of the shed and tangled under the debris. We suspect the dog had been stuck there – terrified in the sweltering heat with no food or water -- since the storm hit on Sunday. Our team carefully lifted the shed enough so we could guide the dog out from underneath and free him from the chain. Thankfully, and perhaps miraculously, the dog – who a young neighbor watching the rescue named Bubbles – was not injured. Once freed from the shed, Bubbles was super friendly and sweet and became almost immediately affectionate toward his rescuers. We transported him to safety at the Louisiana SPCA.
UPDATE: September 3, 2021
Today our Disaster Response Team is shifting focus to help our communities right here in New Jersey, after remnants of the hurricane caused tornadoes, record rain and flooding. Our Disaster Response Team is deploying to communities throughout Northern New Jersey this morning to help animals in distress and distribute resources such as food, litter, and other pet supplies to residents in need. We have also received calls from animal shelters throughout the region who have experienced flooding and power outages. We have team members in route to those shelter to evaluate their needs and provide support.
