Hurricane Katrina
Sep 26 2005
HSUS Shelters To Close
State designated staging areas in Gonzales, LA (Lamar-Dixon) and Hattiesburg, MS are winding down with plans to foster animals or re-shelter them locally.. There is no cut-off date for volunteers, but HSUS mega-shelters appear set to close in early October. HSUS Volunteer Boards ~ By 10/5/05 we should operate with limited staff, though disaster response is unpredictable.
Deadline To Leave Lamar
9/23/05, Kate Danaher, 415-459-1149 ~ I just got off the phone with Jane Garrison. Back when they first set up the Lamar Dixon emergency shelter in Gonzales, LA, HSUS was given a deadline to be out by September 30. They are trying to get an extension due to delays experienced with Rita.Jane urges everyone to not delay plans. Arrive ASAP to drop food/water and rescue. She is thrilled with the response (45 two-person teams went out today) and is so sorry if anyone is treated unkindly (by HSUS). Thanks to devoted volunteers, animals continue to be pulled from homes alive.
Due to repeated reports of volunteers treated inappropriately at check-in, Jane advises to not check in at the Barn 5 desk. Instead, go directly to her 5:30am meeting outside the Prowler RV on the far side of Barns 1 and 2. (The volunteer food tent was moved when they hunkered down for Rita). Godspeed! Kate Danaher San Rafael, CA
Demobilizing In LA And MS
9/25/05, RAVS Disaster Response (Rural Area Vet Services), HSUS/RAVS Update ~ If you receive this message you are scheduled as a disaster response volunteer with HSUS/RAVS in Mississippi or Louisiana after or on 10/5/05. The word today is that we/ll aim to demobilize the Lamar-Dixon facility and Hattiesburg, MS facility in the next 1-2 weeks.All remaining animals will go into foster/adoption at shelters around the country. As this occurs our volunteer needs will decrease. By 10/5 we should operate with limited shelter and veterinary staff to process and care for any rescued animals. The nature of disaster response work is unpredictable, so we may need full staffing longer than expected.
Those scheduled to deploy after 10/8/05 should delay final travel plans for the next week until we know more. If making flight plans, I recommend purchasing refundable tickets as it is difficult to predict how conditions will develop.
We do apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but if there is one constant in disaster work it is change. I will send out email updates when I hear of any changes to this plan. Thank you for your flexibility and willingness to help. Windi