9/3/08: ARNO Needs Help At Gustav-Damaged Shelter

• Supplement our warehouse/shelter staff for animal care and cleaning.
• Set-up and care for evacuated dogs who’ll return from Shreveport shelter.

Just show up at 271 Plauche Street if you can help!
Animal Rescue New Orleans
271 Plauche St. / Jefferson, Louisiana 70123
Cross street: Edwards (off of Jefferson Highway)
ARNO main line: 504-571-1900 (unknown if currently operational)
ARNO Shelter Director/Rescue Coordinator: 504-913-2328

Take I-10 East to Clearview.
Go south on Clearview. Travel awhile... Make a right on to Jefferson Highway (west).
(This turn is past Airline Highway 61. You’ll see a McDonalds with blown-out sign).
From Jefferson, turn right on to Edwards.
Take the second left on to Plauche St. not court.
Follow Plauche around. We are halfway up on the left side, 271.
Orange sign on front door: “Animal Rescue New Orleans”

Gustav caused roughly $15,000 to $25,000 in damages.

DONATE ONLINE
DONATAE BY MAIL: Animal Rescue New Orleans / 1219 Coliseum Street / New Orleans, LA 70130

We need warehouse space, near the Elmwood Business Park area, to store food. Most of our former warehouse must now house animals until we rebuild. Do you know a big donor or someone willing to help?
CONTACT: Robin Beaulieu - ARNewOrleans@aol.com | 504-913-2328

We are safe — but no electricity and spotty communication. Cell phone networks work intermittently. We do have water and hope to have power soon. All animals were evacuated pre-storm. Feline residents are sheltered in Folsom and canine citizens in Shreveport, Louisiana.

On Saturday (8/30/08) ARNO assisted Louisiana SPCA with the first-ever pet/people evacuation of Orleans Parish. Despite long hours that began at 5:00am and minimal volunteers, pets and their people left together this time. More than 18,000 people boarded buses along with approximately 5,000 pets. No animal was turned away. A big thank you to all who helped.

ARNO had to quickly evacuate its own shelter. Our plan hit a snag when an evacuation vehicle malfunctioned without our mechanic on hand for repairs. Fortunately, the Jeff Parish Shelter and Louisiana SPCA helped transport our cats in an HSUS vehicle. A second vehicle moved a remaining 15 dogs and 8 cats from the Jeff Parish Shelter. A final supply truck and convoy got stuck in the city to ride out Gustav. But all animals made it out, with our cats in the caring hands of lead ARNO member Beth Schmidt in Folsom.

Devoted ARNO volunteers stayed to care for 150 cats (these guys are unbelievable), even though the supply truck never reached them. As Gustav’s feeder bans crept over the Causeway, roadways into Folsom were shut down.

These volunteers have lived without clean clothes, electricity or water since Sunday (8/31/08). Some food/water volunteers will return to feed and assist ARNO at the shelter. BUT WE NEED MORE HELP. Cats won’t move back until power is restored. Dogs require dawn-to-dusk care due to electricity loss and continued curfew. Curfews will cease once the area has full power.

While Gustav did not ravage ARNO's main building, the storm did damage:
• Rear outside kennel (perimeter fencing, $5k tent torn to shreds, commercial propane heaters bent like pretzels, etc.)
• Outside front TNR/isolation/cleaning area (shredded tent, ripped/splintered perimeter fencing, twisted shelving)
• Cat breezeway area (enclosed ends destroyed, along with cooling fans)
• Our two freezers died on us...