Animal Rescue Alerts 11-21-2005

From Katrina Help Info

Animal Rescue Resources > Alerts > 11-21-2005

Table of contents

1 Monday November 21, 2005

1.1 Slidell Update: Message from Noah's Wish
1.2 Vermilion Parish Needs Supplies and Donations
1.3 Frontline Airs "Storm" Tuesday Night

2 Other Animal Rescue Pages

Monday November 21, 2005

Slidell Update: Message from Noah's Wish

From: Anita Wollison  
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2005 2:20 AM
Re: Slidell Animal Control and Noah's Wish, in case you were unaware

This is directly from the Noah's Wish website. Please circulate and cross-post this update/correction as widely as you have the rumors.

Thanks, Anita

Directors Update: November 20, 2005 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time

There have been rumors circulating on the internet recently that pertain to Noah's Wish which I would like to correct. I apologize for not doing this sooner but we have been extremely busy trying to shut down our operation in Slidell. Also, I would have hoped that people would trust us enough to do our job the right way and not get pulled into the rumor frenzy. In all honesty, taking time to put these rumors to an end definitely distracts from what needs to be done right now for the few remaining animals in our care.

Noah's Wish will be completely closing down our shelter on November 21 which we have had open in Slidell, Louisiana for 84 days. Originally, we thought we would be done by the 15th of November, but we postponed our departure when we realized there was still more work to be done. When we leave, everyone of the 1,986 animals we have cared for will either be reunited with their families, placed in a foster home, adopted, or they will be waiting for an individual or small rescue group to pick them up.

We are not turning animals over to Slidell Animal Control for them to be euthanized which is the rumor being circulated on the internet. The rumor that we are doing this is absolutely incorrect. There will be a small number of animals that do stay at the animal control shelter for a few days after we leave as they cannot be picked up before we depart. We will follow through with animal control to make sure this happens. If any of the plans fall through we will come up with another solution. I must say it is an insult to the organization for people to think we would give up on these animals at this point. It makes me sad at how quickly people jumped to misjudge us when our history in past disasters proves we have always been committed to the animals that we take responsibility for during disasters, no matter how long it takes to get them all where they belong and where they will be well cared for. For those who have sent e-mails saying they will no longer support Noah's Wish, I can only say that we want people to support our work who truly trust us and believe in our commitment to the animals. And, there are hundreds of thousands of people who do and the numbers are continuing to grow rapidly.

All of us on site in Slidell have put in incredibly long hours for the past 2 and a half months taking care of all the needs of the animals that have come through our shelter. We have nursed animals back to health, bathed them when they were covered in oil, held them in our arms when they were scared, gave them blankets to curl up with at night when the weather got colder, and played with them to help them feel they mattered to us. The love and attention that has been shown for these animals is a testament to the compassion everyone on the Noah's Wish team, including Slidell Animal Control, feels towards these animals and also their caregivers. Noah's Wish has invested a great deal in the animals we have been responsible for during this disaster and we will continue to do this, not only during this disaster, but in future ones too.

I want to also come to the defense of Slidell Animal Control. For people to automatically think that turning animals over to this agency means they will die is wrong and unfair. Out of all the agencies and organizations that Noah's Wish has worked with during past disasters they have been by far the best. The level of commitment to the animals, and the obvious concern and compassion that the staff has shown throughout this entire ordeal, is to be commended. They too have invested a great deal in these animals, working right along side of us the entire time. There is no way they could give up on these animals either. Noah's Wish will be posting a full report on our website once our work in Slidell is complete.

Monica Orta Elkins
Homeward Bound Animal Rescue
http://members.petfinder.org/~TX122/index.htm

Vermilion Parish Needs Supplies and Donations

Editor's note: Vermilion Parish Info [1] (http://www.vermilion.org/) [2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermillion_Parish,_Louisiana)

Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2005 19:24:22 -0800 (PST)
From: Kathleen <isabelladams @yahoo .com>
Subject: Vermilion Parish

Crosspost from NOLA - don't have any way to know if this is true, but, if it is there are still some very rough areas needing help. This area is, I think, SW La. I believe some of the NOLA members have crossposted to Best Friends etc., but thought you all would want to hear.

I spoke to Joelle for over an hour tonight...to make the following story short, what she told me is a nightmare.

Organization name: Animal Aid Vermilion Area (they are 501.c.3) [3] (http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/LA26.html)

(The people/environment of south Vermillion Parish)

They have not seen Salvation Army. Red Cross came once, but said they were very busy and have not been seen since. Fema was seen, but she said FEMA doesn't know what they are doing and were running around in circles getting nothing done. Some of the people have not seen anyone but this lady since the hurricanes. Many are trying to live in tents and campers. They had well water, but salt water and oily sludge have overflowed the wells and made the water unfit. Joelle is trying to take them some bottled water that she gets in for donations, and they are driving to Abbeville to haul water themselves. A few are living in their house trailers with electricity, but the govt. is turning off their electricity because they are unable to raise their trailer to the required height in case of another storm. This is not causing the people to leave, instead they are living without elec. Joelle received a load of blankets, clorox, water and towels for the animals from Indianapolis Humane Society, but the people do not have any means of staying warm, etc....so most blankets and towels have gone to the human victims. She is working out of an 18 wheeler trailer that she is renting and they come up and ask for these things. She is also giving Clorox when she has it and whatever else she has on hand. Some of the people have seen no support at all since the storms. A congressional group supposedly flew over the area 3 weeks ago, but didn't bring a film crew with them. The people haven't heard anything from them, since. No news crews have been to her area to speak to anyone. Everything south of Hwy. 82 is gone, all the way to the Gulf and Vermillion Bay. This includes numerous small towns, farms and islands where people and animals live. What Katrina missed, Rita damaged. Joelle and her husband have taken in one woman who had no place to go and no way to get there.

(The livestock)

There were over 10,000 head of cattle in the parish when the hurricanes hit. She is not sure how many are left, but in the thousands. Some have been sold and some have died, but hay is still the biggest need she has. The small family farms are trying not to sell their cattle and other livestock, and are trying to hold on to them because this is all they know. Many livestock are also injured. People are approaching Joelle pleading for feed for pigs, chickens goats and horses. She has none of this food, but has told some to go to the feed store and charge a bag of feed on her acct. and she will worry about how to pay for it later. Livestock has been caught in barbwire fences, and now has infections and need simple medicine. Even alcohol is non existant. Most livestock have hoof rot from standing in the water so long. Pecan Island cattle are in the marshes and afraid to come out so the people leave food on the roadway when they have it. HSUS of the US donated 17 tons of cattle feed right after the hurricanes and it was gone in 2 hours. She hasn't seen or heard from them anymore. She did get one load of hay that was 2 or 3 years old, and it was falling apart, but the people were thrilled to get it. They had some hay put up for their livestock but it was ruined by the storms. The land is unfit to replant. Everything is either covered with goop or salt. There has been no rain to dilute the salt and toxic soil, so they can't plant rye grass. Bermuda grass will grow in more salty conditions, but it can't be planted until spring because it doesn't grow in winter. The county extension office closed permanently last week. She was responsible for getting the county agent approx. 70% of his donations but they stopped coming in, The extension office was so flustered, that they just closed it up and went to other jobs. Most of them either have destroyed or damaged homes. The govt. started out helping ranchers who had over 60 head of cattle, but even that has ended. Those small ranchers with under 60 head have not seen any govt. assistance for their animals. One man has over 400 head on 50 acres. There are 4 vets in the area. None of them have offered any kind of discounts on fees and the people can't afford to pay for the vet services. State vet Martha Littlefield has spoken to Joelle and doesn't seem to think these animals are in need. When the 17 tons of feed was gone in 2 hours, Joelle spoke to Martha and told her that they needed more help. Martha said there were 49 tons in the county extension barn. Joelle was standing in the barn when she was speaking to Martha and it was empty. Martha has not been around since then. It has been estimated that just the fence posts and fencing that has been destroyed will cost in excess of $1,000,000.00.

(the pets)

Joelle is feeding over 35 cats and as many dogs on Pecan Island (http://www.vermilion.org/pecan-island.php). She did receive 1 load of cat and dog food from of all places, an agricultural high school in Mass. She is now almost out of dry pet food. She has no doghouses and no kennels. There is no one else feeding in the area south of her, except the people who she gives food to. Dogs and cats are everywhere, and most are injured, starving and covered in some kind of oily substance. Many are ill from drinking polluted water. Many people are still walking around in shock. Joelle is trying to foster out some of the animals she is taking in, but is mostly trying to feed and water animals in place. She still believes some owners will return and take their animals back, so she is holding animals without adopting out. She has 12 dogs in her home.

(Miscellaneous)

There is one feed store that she trusts. The name is Thibodeaux. It is on State St. in Abbeville and she has an acct. there. She says it would be great for small donations to be called in there. She was in touch with Farm Aide who was helping large ranchers some, but they started giving feed out to other people, rather then give to the people in the south end of the parish. They would do it after she had gone for the day, so she has no use for them. Joelle says that anything and everything is needed for human and animal victims. I told her that we were just individuals and we would get her some kind of help, but I didn't know if we could solve all of these problems. She said please help in any small way. She thanked me and thanked me for just calling her.
A partial list of items needed. I tried to write while she was talking.

 #1-Hay Dry 
 20cc Syringes
 Alfalfa
 Banaminenuflor 
 Barb Wire
 Blankets
 Bottled Water
 Clavamox
 Clorox
 Cotton Rolls
 Encephalitis Meds
 Hoof Rot Meds
 Iodine
 Livestock Feed
 Molasses Blocks
 Penicillin For Livestock Infections From Barb Wire
 Pet Carriers
 Rimadyl 
 Small Animal Food Buckets
 Tetanus Meds
 Towels
 West Nile Virus Meds
 Worm Meds

Joelle's message: Please send anything and she will find a use for it....
Money:

Vermillion Animal Aid
5937 Veterans Memorial Dr. 
Abbeville, LA 70510

Dog & Cat Food:

Animal Aid c/o Joelle Rupert
1101 West Port Street
Abbeville, LA 79510

Livestock Feed & Supplies:

Animal Aid c/o Brenda Hebert
14312 W. Hwy 82
Abbeville, LA 70510

Feed store account:

Thibodeaux's Feeds, Inc
2003 S. State Street, 
Box 27
Abbeville, LA 70510
(337) 898-1829

She said she welcomed getting out her message where ever she could...because they had been forgotten. She says these people are used to taking care of themselves and their families, and only need the necessities to do it with. Thank you for any help you can give to them.

It is a tragic story of people and animals who have been forgotten by both wealthy charities and wealthy govt. I only wish I could take back all of my donations until now and send everything to these people. mailto:SueGTA1998@aol-dot-com (@aol.com)

Kathleen and "The Girls"
Bailey, Tia and Isabella
http://www.puppymillrescue.com/
http://www.katrinafoundpets.com/

Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 05:41:46 -0000
From: "streamingsad" <streamingsad @yahoo .com>
Subject: More Contact Information for Animal Aid for Vermilion Area

Animal Aid for Vermilion Area
Erath,Louisiana 
mailto:larryandjrupert@hotmail.com
Joelle Rupert (337) 893-0235 cell (337) 277-4239

The Humane Society of Louisiana (HSLA) gives Joelle high marks for being a straight shooter whose primary interest is the animals. (HSLA has in the past assisted her from time to time.)

Frontline Airs "Storm" Tuesday Night

Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2005 04:58:01 -0000
From: "veni harlan" <borzoirule @cox .net>
Subject: Frontline Airs "Storm" Tuesday Night

FRONTLINE http://www.pbs.org/frontline/

Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2005 at 8.00 pm (lpb/louisiana public broadcasting) on PBS - Inside FRONTLINE: Reporting the Katrina story

Every so often an event begs to be deconstructed by both FRONTLINE and our colleagues at NOVA. Hurricane Katrina was such an event.

While NOVA decided to look at the science of the story -- what made the storm so deadly and what happened to the levees -- FRONTLINE set about investigating a political question: Why did federal and local officials fail to protect thousands of Americans from a widely predicted natural disaster? Both special reports will be broadcast back to back this Tuesday starting at 8:00 pm ET on PBS.

To investigate the political storm, FRONTLINE asked veteran producers Martin Smith and Marcela Gaviria to find out what happened to FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and also to look into who should be held accountable for the 900 mostly elderly people who lost their lives.

Some of you might recall that Smith and Gaviria's recent FRONTLINE reports involved the difficulties and dangers of moving around Iraq. In New Orleans they encountered a whole set of different challenges. Here is Gaviria's sketch of what it was like --

"... Two weeks after Katrina hit we found ourselves headed for New Orleans. We were very late in coming -- some 3,000 journalists as well as scores of contractors and emergency workers were already there. There was not a rental car, motor-home or hotel room to be found within many miles of New Orleans. Finding a bed to spend the night proved to be one of many endless hurdles. The simplest tasks -- where to find a meal, how to charge batteries, where to find fuel, how to place a phone call, check email, locate an official -- consumed our days.

We operated in a void. For the most part, the text message capacity of our wireless handhelds was our only means of communication. But it didn't always work. It was not uncommon for us to drive two hours to Baton Rouge to find out that a previously scheduled interview had been cancelled. If someone had called to reschedule, they might have never gotten through.

Local and state officials seemed overwhelmed -- not just by the scale of the crisis, but by the numerous media requests. For us, and for everyone else who was down there covering the storm, it made reporting and getting access all the harder. I can only imagine how difficult it was for the emergency first responders who were there to save lives."

We invite you to watch NOVA and FRONTLINE this Tuesday and then explore FRONTLINE's web site for the extended interviews with key officials, including former FEMA Director Michael Brown in his first full-length tv interview post-Katrina. There is also analysis of the lessons that can be learned from Katrina and home videos made by New Orleans residents that dramatically convey what it was like to be in your house as the waves and floodwaters surged into it. Plus, view our full program again online, and take the opportunity to express your opinion at http://www.pbs.org/frontline/storm/

Louis Wiley Jr., Executive Editor

This program will be rebroadcast at the following time(s):