Kennett becomes a haven for animal flood victims

The storms that recently came through our area not only displaced families, and flooded farmland, but displaced the animals as well.

To alleviate the problem, the Caruthersville Humane Shelter began steps to protect the animals housed at its facility as well as taking in animals from the flood areas. The facility utilized an animal disaster trailer and set up emergency housing for those animals affected by the storms

With the ever growing threat of flooding from the Mississippi River, the shelter has had to move its operations from Caruthersville to a temporary shelter for the animals at the fairgrounds in Kennett.

Animals ranging from dogs, left, to horses, right, have been transported to Kennett due to the threat of flooding at Caruthersville, Mo.(Staff photos by Lecia Forester)

According to Kyle Held, mid-west regional director of the ASPCA, nine days ago, his organization was contacted and asked to step in and help with the shelter and rescue operations by the Caruthersville Humane Shelter and the Caruthersville Emergency Management.

"At that point in time, they already had 28 animals in their shelter and then they realized that it was going to get much worse. We came in, [and] we found a temporary shelter beyond the capacity of theirs because we knew we would go above and beyond that. Then, a few days later, we quickly learned that we would go above and beyond the capacity we found." he said, adding, "In two days, we got almost 250 animals. So we quickly realized this wasn't going to work anymore."

According to Held, at the present time, the temporary facility at the fairgrounds is housing 400 animals and outgrew its space two days ago.

Another shelter has been found that is located on Compress Road which will be able to house 1,000 animals but the fairgrounds will still be utilized for the housing of livestock and will be used as an intake center if the need to evacuate the shelter becomes necessary.

Evacuation of the animals from the Caruthersville Humane Shelter have already begun and will continue throughout the day, thanks to the ASPCA, Code 3 Associates out of Colorado Springs, Colo., the Humane Society of the United States and Wayside Waifs, relocating them in the new shelter provided in Kennett. Other organizations involved include, Emergency Equine Rescue Unit (EERU) from Kansas, and Washington Rescue League out of Washington, D.C., plus various others from other parts of the country. Local efforts have been put forth as well. There are also three veterinarians from out-of-state that have volunteered their services for the relief effort. Two will be staying on site, taking care of any medical issues that may occur.

"The staff at the Caruthersville Humane Society have been working non-stop. Karol's phone rings 24 hours a day so she's been going non-stop," Held said.

When asked if he thinks the number of animals will keep growing, he said, "I think it will for a few more days, probably tomorrow [Friday] and then we'll start to see a slow period until something bad happens, if it happens. If it rains Saturday, [seeing] if the levee holds and the sea wall holds."

The shelter has already taken in animals from Cotton Wood Point, Cooter, Steele, Malden, Portageville, New Madrid County and Dunklin County.

"One thing we want to stress, most of the bad things we see in disasters are because people won't leave their animals. The thing we do here is give them a safe alternative for them and their animals and us. If they don't leave, then we have to go in and get them later. That's just not good for anybody. It could be bad for everybody. What we encourage people to do is take advantage of a situation like this and let people who genuinely care about animals hang onto the animals while you safely find a place to stay and ride this thing out," Held said. He added that EERU, Code 3 and himself are all Swiftwater Rescue Certified if the need arises.

Held said that Swiftwater Rescue Certified means that they are certified in rescuing people in moving water. Since they are boat operators and swimmers, they are qualified to go out into flood waters and rescue animals and people from dangerous situations.

However, according to Held, most of the animals presently at the shelter, 85 percent of them have been brought in by their owners. The other 10 to 15 percent have been animals the rescue teams have had to go out and rescue, with two horses being rescued on Friday, just outside of Caruthersville. Other animals have been rescued from a dangerous situation and their owner is unknown. These animals are considered to be strays but will be kept at the shelter for awhile after the danger is over, to give their owners a chance to claim them.

Held noted that some people have already come to see if their animals are at the shelter, then went on to tell of owners coming and spending time with their animals.

"We have had a lot of people that have spent quite a bit of the day out here with their animals. It keeps them in a much better frame of mind. The animals are scared, the people are scared. It makes it easier for everybody to let the owner come in and see the animals," he said.

According to Karol Wilcox, director of the Caruthersville Humane Shelter, the human shelter will be opening its doors on Saturday.

"We expect the count to continue to grow and we will have staff at the shelter in case they bring animals. We will also be patrolling as people are leaving to ask them if they had animals and what they did with them. If anyone finds a situation where people have evacuated and left animals, we institute a fee in place if possible or will secure the animals to the shelter and post the property with their location," she said, adding, "We have almost 40 people on the ground from all over the United States at no cost to the city or county. The operation is being paid for by the Caruthersville Humane Society and the other groups involved."

All of the cages and the food have been supplied by the organizations involved in caring for the animals. However, there is a need for blankets and towels, Held noted. If anyone wishes to donate these items, they may drop them off at the temporary shelter at the fairgrounds, the new facility on Compress Road, or by calling (573) 333-0100. Residents who wish to report any lost pets or have any rescue needs may call the same number or by visiting 500 East Industrial Drive in Caruthersville.