Updates

Oct. 9, 2024 | Our Animal Rescue Team remains on the ground in North Carolina and Tennessee for continued Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. The need in these devastated areas is overwhelming after unprecedented inland damage.

Oct. 7, 2024 | Our Animal Rescue Team is now on the ground in North Carolina and remains on the ground in Tennessee to help people, pets and all animals. Our on the ground Hurricane Helene relief deployments in Florida have demobilized.

Oct. 4, 2024 | Our Animal Rescue Team remains on the ground in Florida and Tennessee to help animals in the aftermath of deadly Hurricane Helene. We are transporting cats and dogs to safety, helping devastated animal shelters, and providing food, resources and veterinary care.

Oct. 2, 2024 | Our Animal Rescue Team remains on the ground in Florida and Tennessee to help animals in communities hit hard following the Category 4 Hurricane Helene. 

Sept. 30, 2024 | Our Animal Rescue Team is on the ground in Florida and Tennessee assisting animals in need following the absolute devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. We are also providing assistance with animal needs in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. 

Sept. 26, 2024 | Our Animal Rescue Team is rushing to assist vulnerable animals in the path of Hurricane Helene. This storm is rapidly strengthening, and the latest forecasts warn of what could be catastrophic destruction. 

What is HSUS doing to help?

Responders from the HSUS are in Unicoi County, Tennessee, at the request of local officials to assess a dire situation at Unicoi County Animal Shelter, which was left flooded and devastated by Hurricane Helene. The shelter is now completely uninhabitable, and all the animals had to be evacuated. The HSUS is helping the county develop a plan to continue to provide lifesaving services as the shelter undergoes cleanup and construction. The team is helping to establish a temporary shelter until the permanent space is operational again, which will likely take months. As of Oct. 7, the HSUS has a team on the ground in western North Carolina to assess and respond to animal needs in hard-hit areas after receiving a request for assistance from state officials.

In Tennessee, the HSUS assisted Cocke County on Sept. 30 by transporting adoptable animals from local animal shelters to increase the capacity of the community to care for an anticipated influx of displaced animals. The HSUS brought approximately 40 adoptable animals from City of Newport Animal Control, Cocke County Animal Control and Smoky Mountain Humane Society—which has been struggling with loss of power and water—to our care and rehabilitation center in Maryland. By transporting animals who were available for adoption pre-storm out of the region, local animal services will be better positioned to take in and care for displaced animals in their community, increasing the likelihood of reunifications.

In Florida, the HSUS deployed to Madison County, which is reeling from three hurricanes in the past year: Hurricane Idalia, Hurricane Debby and Hurricane Helene. The Madison County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance due to an urgent need for animal supplies in the community. The HSUS’ responders and volunteers operated a drive-thru distribution point for the community to acquire pet food and other necessary supplies at no cost. This distribution point wrapped up operations on 10/2 after providing over 5,770 animals with much-needed supplies.

Additionally in Florida, the HSUS operated a pop-up veterinary clinic in Taylor County after local authorities requested veterinary support following the storm. Local veterinary services were critically impacted by the hurricane, leaving community members and their pets without access to lifesaving resources. Residents impacted by the hurricane were offered free veterinary care including preventative care, treatment for minor injuries and illnesses, and other veterinary needs. These services are often essential to help families impacted by disasters keep their pets while they get back on their feet. The HSUS provided free veterinary care to over 260 pets from Oct. 1-4. 

The HSUS fielded requests for supplies and animal needs with local emergency management and animal services agencies in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The HSUS has coordinated supply and/or food delivery to several shelters in South Carolina including Home for Good Dog Rescue, Allendale Animal Shelter, Kershaw County Humane Society, and M.A.M.A.S. Animal Shelter. In North Carolina, the HSUS has coordinated supply and/or animal food delivery  to organizations including Asheville Humane Society, His Glory Search & Aid Team, Lincoln County Animal Services and Beyond Fences.
 

Frequently asked questions

I can travel to the impacted area. How can I help?

People who are part of the HSUS disaster response team will be emailed directly if their help is needed. Beyond those trained responders, it is imperative that no one go to impacted areas on their own or self-deploy. The HSUS won’t be able to use volunteers who haven’t gone through official training, and there are trained volunteers in the impacted region who are on standby to help when called. If people who self-deploy get stranded, emergency response attention must then add them to the potentially long list of rescues, diverting resources away from the existing priority rescue work. It is simply too dangerous and may result in lost/stray animals not going through the official systems in place to ensure lost animals are reunited with owners. If you would like to become a trained volunteer, you can learn more about the requirements and fill out an application.

I need help evacuating pets from my residence. Where do I start?

If you are able to access your residence and it is safe for you to do so, please retrieve your pets and ask if neighbors and friends in the area can help you move them to safety. If you must, you can leave food and water and return daily to feed and care for your pets. Nearby neighbors and friends whose homes were not damaged as severely may also be able to help care for your pets until you are able to return home or remove them. If you need assistance evacuating your residence, please contact your local emergency manager. Rescue teams in the area receive and respond to individual requests for assistance through those centralized systems, so making an official request is more effective than contacting organizations yourself. A full list of state emergency contacts can be found at fema.gov.

I need help evacuating farm animals. Where do I start?

Individuals looking for assistance with farm animals should call the county in which they are located and ask if they have an emergency shelter or location for animals. It is also advisable to call local animal control to flag the property so it is on the radar of emergency officials for assistance. Make sure all animals have access to fresh water. The HSUS emphasizes the importance of making a disaster preparedness plan for all pets—horses and livestock included.

I want to donate supplies for local animal shelters. What should I send?

Please check with those organizations before sending supplies to make sure what you send is needed and helpful; many shelters will have lists of their top needs on their websites.

Thank you to our partners

Special thanks to partners who supported our efforts to respond to Hurricane Helene by accepting animals into their programs who were already awaiting placement in our care and rehabilitation center. Those partners include Green Dogs Unleashed, Queen Anne’s County Animal Services, Lehigh Valley Humane Society, Petey and Furends, New Hampshire SCPA, PetConnect Rescue and Animal Haven. We would also like to thank partners who are assisting with placement of animals who were available for adoption pre-storm in shelters impacted by Hurricane Helene. Those partners include Williamson County Animal Center, Young Williams Animal Center, Nashville Humane Association, Petey and Furends, PetConnect Rescue and Humane Fort Wayne. By transferring animals who were available for adoption pre-storm out of impacted regions, local animal services are better positioned to intake and care for animals displaced by the storm and increase the likelihood of reunifications.