Patrick Kwan at the Humane Society of the U.S. has alerted us to these heartwarming photos of Hurricane Sandy pet rescues, including some on the devastated Staten Island, and even better: families and pets reuniting. It's just what we all need to see after this past week. Click through for a look at the love.... while listening to this:
Kwan tells us, "I spent most of the last week at the NYC Office of Emergency Management’s hurricane operations center in downtown Brooklyn as the NYCOEM Animal Planning Task Force liaison on behalf of The Humane Society of the United States... It was heart-breaking to hear from New Yorkers and the desperate situations involving their pets through the NYC pet rescue hotline. Like other New Yorkers, I watched the news, saw the photos, and heard the reports—but being out on Staten Island and seeing the great extent of the damage there is something I can’t put into words."
So far the HSUS has reunited three evacuated families staying at the Susan Wagner High School evacuation shelter. Most of these animals were rescued from severely water-damaged homes in the Midland Beach area—they have ongoing dispatches and updates right here, and there are more photos over at the HSUS Facebook page, where they note: "We are helping animals in need on the East Coast after Hurricane Sandy. Please make a donation to our Disaster Relief Fund by clicking here, or donate $10 by texting LOVE to 20222."
Evacuees who are in need of help rescuing their animals, The NYC Office of Emergency Management Animal Planning Task Force pet rescue hotline is (347) 573-1561 (no other calls should go to this line as we must keep the line open for evacuees, many of whom have limited phone access.)
