Team in Baton Rouge
Hello All,
Sue e-mailed me last night and let me know that they arived late last night. They flew all day and then had the joy of seven hours of driving in the pouring rain. They just had arrived and hadn't been briefed yet, but as soon as they have news for us Sue will send out another e-mail.
Thank you,
Adena
Sept 1 update on the teams
Everyone-
We have our two teams in North Carolina as of this evening. Things are going well there and the routine has gotten in place for the care of the animals. Our first team is scheduled to come back to Spokane late Wednesday evening.
We have three technical rescue team members headed to Louisiana tomorrow morning. I do not have any information at this time as to their assignments but will get updates from them in the field when they get a chance. At this point we have no requests for additional help in Louisiana but that can change at any time. Please be patient and I will get information out to you as I get it.
Keep an eye on the news as we have two more systems out on the Atlantic – Hanna and Ike.
Thanks!
Janis Christensen
President
HEART
Update 8/31 on N.C. and Gustav
Hi Everyone!
Barb F, Barb A, and Marlene are well. I did not hear from them Thursday night but I hope to hear from them tonight. As of Wednesday they were getting the animals settled and vet checks and decon’s were to start. There has been some rain from Fay and the weather hot and humid.
We will have a second wave of volunteers headed to North Carolina on Monday. Donna, Tami, Linda and Angela are ready to go and will spend 10 days in North Carolina .
At this time no one from our team is headed to Louisiana for Gustav.(ok that just changed lol) American Humane Association does have a team going there today but HEART is not part of that group. There have been a couple mega shelters set up in Louisiana and most all groups have volunteers headed that way. Keep an eye on Gustav and wait to see what happens. If it makes landfall we will probably need some more people for deployment.
I do not know the particulars of the North Carolina hoarding case (around 400 animals) nor do I know how long American Humane will be there. A commitment has been made for the care of these animals and they can’t back out because there is a hurricane. There was a puppy mill raid in West Virginia this last weekend 973 dogs (and growing as dogs whelp). HSUS, UAN and Best Friends are working on that one. They are committed to the care of these animals as well. That being said if we have a major disaster elsewhere all groups are going to feel a strain. For more info on these cases you can check AHA and HSUS websites.
That is all of the information I have at this time. If we get another request we will see who we have available. I can’t send everyone out as we still have to be available if something happens here locally.
Let’s wish our team well and a big thanks for helping animals in times of need.
Janis Christensen
President
HEART
Update from NC Aug 30th
Hello All-
I have spoken with all of our team members in NC and have the following info for all of you.
They have gotten all of the animals out and to fosters or other rescue groups with the exception of the cats and dogs. There are many Huskies and Chihuahua ’s along with some others. Some are still in isolation due to mange and some other yet to be identified skin problems. Ticks are abundant. They are still wearing tyvek suits in some areas. Medical staffing is on site.
Some local volunteers have been on hand. Many do not have extensive experience like us. This is why we are so important for these deployments!
The days have been extremely long Wednesday was 16 hours and Thursday 18 hours. Today should be more of a “normal” day and not so long.
Barb A has come down with a respiratory virus and has been down for two days. She did go to an urgent care facility and was treated with some medication. I spoke with her this morning and she plans to be back on site tomorrow. Not at 100% but she will help where she can.
Marlene did get bitten by a dog. She is okay. It is not a severe bite and she received treatment on site. The dog has been put into isolation and is being watched.
That being said, I will remind those that are deploying and our group here at home how important safety is. Please be vigilant at all times and look out for one another. These deployments are very difficult physically and emotionally. I ask that everyone be supportive of one another. Not just your fellow Heart members but the new friends you make on these deployments.
I’ll let you know what I hear next. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.
Janis
