Rescuers Race Ahead of Hurricane Helene to Save Animals in Danger
As Hurricane Helene barrels toward the Florida coast, most residents are securing their homes and preparing for the dangerous storm. When other people are evacuating or battening down the hatches, animal rescuers are racing ahead of the hurricane to get animals to safety. Everyone has heard of storm chasers. Florida Urgent Rescue (FUR) has storm racers.
In a scene playing out all across Florida, animal rescuers are racing to help animals in rural shelters in the path of the storm.
Florida Urgent Rescue took the lead in evacuating 49 dogs and cats from two rural shelters and assisted other organizations transporting animals in danger at additional shelters.
FUR was on the ground at Wakulla County Animal Services in Crawfordville, FL, where Helene is expected to make landfall, evacuating 29 cats and six dogs. Paws Humane Society in Columbus, GA has worked with FUR in numerous emergencies throughout the years and they took in all 29 cats and one dog.
At the same time the Wakulla evacuation was underway, other FUR members were evacuating 14 dogs in outdoor kennels in Union County, moving them to boarding at Pet Paradise Jacksonville Airport until the storm passes. The remaining 5 dogs from Wakulla County are also boarding at Pet Paradise.
FUR has continued working with other animal welfare organizations throughout the state to help evacuate animals in danger at other rural shelters, including animals from Madison, Taylor and Suwannee Counties.
This is familiar territory for FUR, having conducted rescue missions and disaster relief in more than 16 hurricanes and other disasters.
FUR’s commitment to animal rescue extends beyond Florida. FUR made three trips to Ukraine following the Russian invasion, conducting multiple rescue missions. FUR moved animals to safety, evacuated refugees with their pets and reunited people with their stranded pets. FUR also assisted after the Kentucky tornado and in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian.
“In every disaster, there are similar problems,” said Florida Urgent Rescue Founder and Executive Director Mike Merrill. “People and animals are in danger and shelters are overwhelmed. We want to help wherever we can.”