A scene photographed in a small town in upstate New York. Even areas inland were not spared the devastation from the effects of Hurricane Irene.
According to reports on CNN, this weekend's disaster in the form of Hurricane Irene left at least 21 dead across nine states. Even afterwards, millions are still without power and fears of flooding are still a major concern in many areas. And many are saying Hurricane Irene "wasn't that bad."
For those that think that, consider the scene above, photographed in a small town in upstate New York. It is one of the many scenes that go to show that even those inland and not in coastal areas were not left spared from Irene's devastation. And with the scenes of human plight rampant, one can only wonder: how many animals in need of help were also affected by this horrendous storm?
Though it made landfall in the Tri-State area as a tropical storm, Irene still brought inches upon inches of rain to areas that were already overly saturated from record-setting rainfalls this month. With Irene's rain, water tables and localized rivers all over were put over the top, flooding into areas water is not meant to be stored.
How many animal shelters and humane societies must have been affected by these torrent flood waters?
It's the hope of this writer that those places were evacuated in time, and that the animals in these facilities were taken care of. But with so much devastation, it is only right to assume that, in some way, shape, or form, these places will need help.
As with any natural disaster, animals are always affected in one way or another. As the eastern seaboard cleans up from Irene's mess, take some time to think about those animals that may be in need of assistance, whether through donations of some sort or the ultimate gift of a loving home.
For those interested in helping out, you can find information at the American Red Cross website to help with disaster relief. In helping our animals, think of any local shelters you might know, or visit the ASPCA website to support first responders who show up for all types of emergencies.
Were you or anyone else you know affected by Hurricane Irene? Let us know in a comment.
- Filed Under: Help Animals
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Hi-we are in a more mountainous region in the Helderbergs and were what seems to be more inconvenienced with power outages lasting about 30 hours...nothing compared to the devastated people and animals of Schoharie and Greene Counties. People have set up FB pages trying to reunite animals with owners, and the plight of one poor man, Leland Neff, who is persistently searching through flooded lands and debris-walking and on horseback-for 22 of his horses that were washed away last week. Ellen ~ Westerlo, NY