WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, October 15, 2018 — American Humane, the country’s first national humane organization, which has been saving animals in disasters for more than 100 years, rushed one of their giant 50-foot animal emergency vehicles and its renowned animal emergency team to transport to safety vulnerable shelter animals caught in the deadly wake of Hurricane Michael.
American Humane’s newest deployment, which follows its search and rescue work for animals in the Carolinas following Hurricane Florence, was officially requested by the Albany Humane Society in Georgia, where 40 dogs from a damaged shelter without electricity or working water. The Albany area sustained extensive damage and 90 percent of homes were without power. The animals are being transported 130 miles from the Albany Humane Society at 1705 Oakridge Dr, Albany, GA 31707 to the Meriwether County Animal Shelter, located at 263 McLaughlin Rd, Greenville, GA 30222. The rescue team drove the specially equipped emergency vehicle more than 500 miles to reach the devastation, moving from its strategic base in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
When Hurricane Michael struck Georgia, it was still a devastatingly strong Category 3 storm. American Humane’s time-tested team is working to transport shelter animals out of the wake of the disaster to safer ground where they can be comforted, cared for, and receive any medical care they require. American Humane staff and dedicated volunteers are also standing by to assist with search and rescue, and sheltering operations, as needed and requested by the states of Florida and Georgia.
“We are grateful to the generous people who are sending in donations to help our best friends in their worst times,” says American Humane President and CEO Dr. Robin Ganzert, who herself recently had to evacuate her home with her dog Daisy during the onslaught of Hurricane Florence. “We also thank philanthropist Lois Pope and the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation for her ongoing support of the American Humane Rescue program, and to Zoetis Petcare, which generously donates critical medicines and veterinary supplies for our animal emergency vehicles. Our deepest gratitude to all of you!”
About American Humane and the American Humane Rescue program
American Humane is the country’s first national humane organization, founded in 1877. The American Humane Rescue program has been involved in virtually every major relief effort during the past 100 years, starting in World War I when we rescued and cared for 68,000 war horses wounded each month on the battlefields of Europe, the Great Ohio Flood of 1937, Pearl Harbor, Hurricane Katrina, the terror attacks on 9/11, the Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, Superstorm Sandy, the tornadoes in Joplin and Oklahoma, the Louisiana and West Virginia floods, the California and Tennessee wildfires, and most recently, Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, Irma, and Florence.
To support American Humane’s rescue efforts, please visit www.AmericanHumane.org.
