Hurricane Helene Aftermath: ASPCA rescuing rescue animals in Ashville, North Carolina, and around the region
It’s been over a week since Hurricane Helene slammed into and up along the East coast of the U.S. And although states from Florida to Virginia have their own unique Hurricane Helene horror stories, North Carolina stands out as the one State that seems to have suffered the most – with many parts of the State still devastated due to roads and bridges that have washed away – and approximately 200,000 still without electricity. As of last count, more than 200 deaths have been attributed to Helene, with at least 115 in North Carolina, 41 in South Carolina, 33 in Georgia, 19 in Florida, 11 in Tennessee, and 2 in Virginia. And those numbers are still very fluid as hundreds of people are still listed as missing.
The town of Ashville, North Carolina, was especially hard hit by Helene – a storm that’s now being described as historic and apocalyptic.
Another casualty of the storm in Ashville is Brother Wolf Animal Rescue (BWAR,) an animal rescue and adoption facility in the heart of Asheville that was also flooded out due to the devastating storm.
We have currently paused our adoption services due to the catastrophic loss of our shelter and all physical assets. We are working around the clock to resume operations ASAP and will update this page when we are able to conduct adoptions again. ~ Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
One potentially feel-good story to arise following the devastating storm, is that none of the animals at BWAR were casualties of the storm. The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) and the Humane Society of Charlotte (HSC) assisted with the emergency transport of 44 homeless dogs and cats from BWAR after the shelter was devastated by severe flooding due to Hurricane Helene. During Hurricane Helene’s destructive landfall on September 26, the animals were housed with temporary foster homes in the Asheville area.
After the storm, emergency foster caregivers brought the animals to the ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance (ASNA) for temporary sheltering before they were transported to HSC in Charlotte, N.C., on Oct. 2. The 14 dogs and 30 cats – all of which are unowned – are receiving medical and behavioral care until they are made available for adoption in the coming weeks. Additional animals from BWAR will be transported later this week to MSPCA-Angell in Boston, Massachusetts.
“Brother Wolf Animal Rescue is a long-time partner of the ASPCA, so providing our assistance with this urgent transport of 44 dogs and cats was a natural extension of that partnership, especially following the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene,” said Jessica Rushin, senior director of animal placement for ASPCA Shelter Services. “This emergency transport ensures these animals continue to receive the care they need in a safe environment while freeing up resources for Brother Wolf Animal Rescue to begin to rebuild their flood-impacted facilities. We are also grateful to our longstanding partner Humane Society of Charlotte, who provided a vehicle to facilitate this transport and graciously opened their doors to these animals so they can have the best chance at finding loving homes.”
This transport of over four dozen dogs and cats is part of the ASPCA’s wider disaster relief support in response to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and beyond. Western North Carolina is home to the ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance and the ASPCA Behavior Rehabilitation Center (BRC), which houses dogs undergoing rehabilitation for extremely fearful behavior so that they can be candidates for adoption. While the area remains an active disaster zone with ongoing resource shortages, including a lack of running water, the ASPCA urgently evacuated more than 30 dogs who were in treatment at the BRC to its Cruelty Recovery Center (CRC) in Columbus, Ohio, where they will continue to receive much-needed behavioral care.
The ASPCA’s disaster response team is coordinating with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services to establish a statewide pet supply distribution plan to support communities impacted by the disaster. The ASPCA also remains in close communication with local animal welfare partners in Western North Carolina to determine how it can best support additional needs.
To donate urgently needed funds to Brother Wolf Animal Rescue and learn more about how to get involved in efforts to resume the shelter’s lifesaving work, please visit www.bwar.org .
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(Source: ASPCA)
(Cover photo, Image credit: BWAR / Twitter)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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