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At the Charlotte Coliseum in September, I had the honor and privilege to assist the Red Cross in taking care of animals who’d been displaced from their homes due to Hurricane Katrina. The owners of these animals had some interesting stories to share as they spoke of the most horrible experiences of their lives. I was fortunate that they opened their hearts to tell me their stories. For some of these people, their pets were all they had when they stepped off the bus from Louisiana.
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State Animal Response Team and CMPD Animal Control Staff Respond to Disaster
(from “Four Paws & a Tale,” the newsletter of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Control Bureau in North Carolina)
State Animal Response Teams are interagency state organizations dedicated to preparing, planning, responding, and recovering during animal emergencies in the United States. North Carolina SART is a public-private partnership, joining government agencies around the common goal of animal issues during disasters. Each county in North Carolina also has its own County Animal Rescue Team (CART) trained to respond to animal-related disasters within the state of North Carolina and to assist other counties when needed.
When Hurricane Katrina came ashore onto the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and Louisiana on August 29, 2005, she left in her wake the worst natural disaster the United States has ever experienced. On September 5, 2005, Mecklenburg County CART Coordinator and Animal Control Supervisor Chris Peninger activated the Mecklenburg County Animal Response Team when evacuees began arriving at the Charlotte Coliseum after being flown out of New Orleans. All of these people were now homeless, arriving with little more than the clothes on their backs. And their pets.
A makeshift kennel was immediately set up in the basement of the Coliseum and staffed around the clock by Animal Control staff and volunteers. Evacuees were given the opportunity to accompany any Red Cross volunteer down to the kennels at any time to visit with their pets, taking them outside for walks, fresh air, and play time. Housing pets at the same facility as evacuees was a first for both the Red Cross and the shelter staff, with both agencies quickly forming a unique partnership. It was a win-win situation. With the owners visiting their pets several times a day, the animals showed very little anxiety during their stay at the Coliseum. By having their pets near them, the evacuees were less stressed after the horrific ordeal that they had been through.
On September 19, 2005, NC SART was activated, and Supervisor Chris Peninger was asked to join the team for deployment to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, as part of the Incident Management Team. Chris requested additional assistance from Kennel Supervisor Robbi Porter and shelter veterinarian Dr. Mary Blinn for deployment to the Gulf Coast. SART team members spent ten days in Hattiesburg assisting with animal response and recovery management. |
Mr. Hoffman and Penny
The first owner and pet I met at the Coliseum was an older gentleman named Mr. Hoffman and a terrier mix named Penny. The makeshift shelter for the animals was located on the main concourse of the Coliseum. Mr. Hoffman was a man on a mission, concerned more about his dog than about himself. After much concerned negotiation, he relinquished Penny to my care.
My coliseum assignment included assisting owners with pet issues, and I was presented with a problem that Mr. Hoffman was very concerned about. He had found a relative in Arizona who wanted to fly him to Tucson. Penny could go along as well, but only if Penny’s travel carrier could fit under an airline seat. This was a problem as Penny was as tall as the bottom of a passenger seat. Mr. Hoffman called the FAA to get the specific dimensions of approved animal carriers. He wouldn’t go without her. He brought the dimensions to me, and I looked for a carrier of that size. I could not find one. Officer Jake Phillips brought in more carriers that we checked. They were either too big or too small. Then a couple wanting to help were directed to us. They donated a large travel kennel for Penny and made financial arrangements that enabled Penny to fly to Arizona with her owner. In addition, they came by and took Mr. Hoffman and Penny to the airport.
Mr. Morgan and Ginger
Mr. Morgan and I spoke about his dog, a Yorkshire Terrier named “Ginger.” My intent was to provide relief through a conversation about commonalities in life and not about the devastation that he had just experienced. Ginger was a “Daddy’s girl,” according to Mr. Morgan. Ginger, upon hearing her owner’s voice, would look right into his eyes, cock her head to one side, and perk her ears up. He would talk to her like she knew what he was saying. Ginger would then cock her head to the other side. She did not bark, whimper, or make a noise, only speaking to her “Daddy” with her eyes. Everyone there seemed to understand what Ginger was saying. Every day, Mr. Morgan would walk his dog and tell me a little more about her. When I first met Mr. Morgan, he told me that Ginger had never been too far away from him since her birth, and her place in bed was just above his pillow. On a subsequent visit, he mentioned that Ginger did enjoy having you talk to her, and of course, her eyes would talk right back to you.
Daily, Mr. Morgan would come down every few hours and take his “baby” for a walk. One day, I noticed that his visits were becoming more infrequent. Volunteers, Red Cross staff, the other animal control officers, and I continued to walk and care for Ginger. One morning, I was near the main entrance and saw Mr. Morgan approaching. He was looking like a new man and was smiling. He came over to me with pride and said that he was not an evacuee anymore, for now he was a volunteer for the Red Cross. Mr. Morgan was on a break and stopped by to check on his baby. I smiled and told him that Ginger was popular with all the volunteers. He thanked me again for the hundredth time for caring for his pet and said, “She is all I have.” Taking care of a loved one for someone else puts a feeling in your heart that makes you want to do more.
Ms. Romano
Ms. Romano’s story was interesting because it indicated her desire to help others while having to cope with an ordeal herself. She began by telling me that while she was in her home with floodwaters several feet deep, she would occasionally see the Army’s National Guard drive by. Ms. Romano decided to help them out by making them a hot meal. She used her trusty Coleman stove and gas grill and fed many of the soldiers several times. When she was forced to evacuate, these soldiers were told “no pets” and forced Ms. Romano to leave her cats. She gave her pets cat food for a week and left in despair.
At the time she did not understand how these same soldiers she had fed could lack compassion for her pets. While the soldiers were making another stop at a home, Ms. Romano jumped into the water, waist deep, and found her way back home. She held her 18-year-old cat and vowed not to leave it ever again. Another truck came by and Ms. Romano got on it accompanied by her cat. She told the soldiers they would have to shoot her before she would leave her cat. Therefore, they decided to let her keep the cat.
These people have lost almost everything in the world so, why take away the only thing they have left—the companionship of their pets? That is why the Red Cross staff allowed these evacuees to be housed with their pets at the Charlotte Coliseum.
It was a good experience to have helped these people in their time of need. Although resources and pride were washed away in the floodwaters of the hurricane, the evacuees were still open to accepting a helping hand, and that was a wonderful thing to experience. It was awesome to see the community come together to help those in need. There was heartfelt concern displayed by all who volunteered to assist the evacuees and their pets. These pets were often the only family that these people had. Pets are family. Family should not be left behind.
Officer Robert Campos wrote this piece for “Four Paws & a Tale,” the newsletter of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Control Bureau in North Carolina.
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