Hurricane Katrina Victims Need Help
At press time for the October issue, thousands of National Guardsmen
were being ordered into hurricane-ravaged New Orleans and other
Gulf Coast cities to control increasingly desperate residents
(some wielding guns) and looters so thousands of evacuees could
be moved to safety.
Experts are saying that Hurricane Katrina, which forced the
evacuation of more than 1 million residents of Louisiana,
Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, could turn out
to be the worst natural disaster in the United States since
the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. They can’t even begin
to estimate how much it will cost to rebuild devastated areas.
The American Veterinary Medical Foundation (Schaumburg, Ill.),
the American Humane Association (Denver), the Humane Society
of the United States (Washington), the National Search Dog
Foundation (Ojai, Calif.) were among the organizations that
deployed teams to the Southeast to provide relief to survivors
and their animals.
Other organizations began taking donations. For example,
PetSmart Charities (Phoenix) accepted cash donations via its
Web site and PetSmart stores. The Petco Foundation (San Diego)
organized an emergency "round-up" fundraiser at
Petco stores. Petland Inc. (Chillicothe, Ohio) encouraged
stores and their staff members to support the American Red
Cross and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, and
collected customer donations for those charities.
“It is admirable that people respond and send supplies
to assist animals impacted by disasters,” said Marshall
Meyers, executive vice president and general counsel for the
Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (Washington). “Unfortunately,
the authorities are seldom equipped to receive and properly
handle tons of supplies that show up in the early days of
a catastrophe. The Sept. 11 and Hurricane Andrew incidents
generated tons of dog food that could not be properly handled
…. At this point in time, people desiring to provide
assistance should consider making cash donations to responsible,
well-respected organizations that have a history of disaster
relief, including those restricted to helping animals.”
The following organizations are accepting donations to support
ongoing relief efforts:
- American Humane Association, www.americanhumane.org.
- American Kennel Club/Companion Animal Recovery Canine Support
and Relief Fund at
www.akc.org or 800-252-7894.
- American Red Cross at www.redcross.org
or 800-HELP NOW (435-7669).
- American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal
at www.aspca.org
or (212) 876-7700, Ext.4516.
- American Veterinary Medical Foundation at www.avmf.org
or 800-248-2862, Ext. 6689.
- Humane Society of the United States at www.hsus.org
or 888-259-5431. [October 2005 PET AGE]
In addition, the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association
(Greenwich, Conn.) set up an information clearinghouse to
let members know where to send needed supplies. For more information,
visit www.appma.org.
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