WAVELAND, Miss. – They were some of Hurricane Katrina’s smallest and most helpless victims, alerted to the power of the storm long before most people but unable to flee on their own.
The Aug. 29 storm and its aftermath proved deadly for the inhabitants of the Waveland Animal Shelter, the only such facility in Hancock County, as well as heart-breaking for many pet owners. Director Renee Lick said most of the animals in the shelter at the time of the storm died, but declined to provide an exact figure.
The tragedy was a small one when held up against the unfathomable measuring stick set by Katrina. No one is even willing to hazard a guess at how many pets and other animals died in the storm, but the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates more than 15,000 dogs, cats, horses, livestock and other animals were rescued in the roughly 90,000 square miles of Gulf Coast hammered by the hurricane and whisked off to more than 300 shelters in more than 40 states.
But the deaths and destruction in Waveland continue to reverberate, and elected officials and animal rights advocates are working to ensure the tragedy will never be repeated by pushing for a new facility miles inland that would be managed by the county.
“It would make everybody’s lives better if they had a better animal control shelter here,” said Bay St. Louis veterinarian Charles West, who is on the board of the Friends of the Animal Shelter, which is spearheading the campaign.
A cat at the shelter reaches through the door of its cage. (John Brecher / MSNBC.com)
A push for a new animal shelter in Hancock County was already under way before Katrina, but it has intensified since the storm flooded the building with more than 5 feet of water, virtually ruining the 30-year-old facility.
A depressing destination
Months later, the shelter, which is located next to a sewage treatment plant and bordered on one side by a drainage ditch filled with fetid water, remains a depressing destination for pets whose owners can't care for them or can't be found.
Under the current difficult conditions, the shelter has a capacity of about 35 animals, Lick told MSNBC.com during a recent tour of the site.
The shelter’s canines are kept in cages around the perimeter of the shelter as well as in indoor kennels. Cats -- some calmly gazing out at visitors, others visibly distressed -- are housed just a few feet away though an open door.
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And operations are threadbare. Lick said the shelter lost two animal control vehicles to Katrina and, although it has been able to add one animal control officer to its staff, still has just four officers -- two for the county, one for Bay St. Louis and one for Waveland.
A slow rebuilding effort
As the region struggles to rebuild homes and businesses, the Hancock County Board of Supervisors has also passed a resolution stating its intent to build a new shelter.
President Rocky Pullman said the shelter “needs to be out of residential (areas). … And we've had animal activists come down and scream at us that this facility is unacceptable ... so we're trying to take the public's concern and move ahead.”
The county is eyeing land in the Stennis buffer zone, an unpopulated area around NASA’s nearby missile testing facility for the new shelter, he said.
Dr. Brigid Elcos, the Mississippi State public health veterinarian, said state officials had applied on Hancock County’s behalf for an ASPCA grant of $500,000 for a new shelter. However, the application stipulated that county authorities develop an emergency fund and plan for any future natural disasters.
“We can address this, we can make a difference, we can do it this time,” said Elcos, who added that the destruction in Hancock County was “probably the worst” along the Gulf Coast.
The Bucks-Mont Bay-Waveland Katrina Relief Project, a Pennsylvania-based group comprised of community leaders, also is conducting a fundraising drive to help build the new animal shelter for this shattered town.
Lick conceded the current shelter is crumbling and said she fully supports the drive for a new facility.
Coming up with a plan
The state had been working with local authorities for several years prior to Katrina in an attempt to formulate emergency evacuation plans, but had yet to develop anything concrete when the storm pounded the coast, according to Dr. Jim Watson, the state veterinarian with the Mississippi Board of Animal Health.
Katrina provided a fresh impetus for those efforts.
“We’re trying to encourage the local community … to have a plan so that we won’t be in a position where we (state authorities) have to go down and rescue animals in an emergency-type of situation,” Watson said.
Doll Stanley, the Mississippi-based regional director of the nonprofit animals rights group In Defense of Animals, said the lack of disaster plans was accompanied by a broad failure to coordinate rescue efforts throughout the Gulf Coast region.
“The disaster that followed the disaster was as disheartening to me (as the storm),” she said.
Several people interviewed for this article said that a new animal shelter – well-equipped and far out of the flood zone – would help prevent a repeat performance in Hancock County.
“If we had a better animal shelter, we wouldn’t have had half the problems we’d had in this storm,” said West, who referred to the current shelter as a “dead end,” said.
Safety for animals can also translate to safety of people, Elcos said
“One of the lessons from all of this is that a lot of people won’t evacuate if they can’t take their pets and don’t know where to go,” she said.
Waveland shelter criticized
Stanley, of In Defense of Animals, is highly critical of the Waveland shelter’s handling of the animal crisis after Katrina, saying that officials failed to actively coordinate with the many outside animal protection groups that poured in after the storm. She said she plans to urge the City Council to fire Lick and close the shelter.
Lick responds by saying she and her staff were only able to work with resources they had and that, besides, planning for an unprecedented disaster like Katrina was impossible.
“Everything has their feelings and their criticisms on this,” Lick said. “We’ve never had this type of disaster. … It’s sad, but this was a learning experience.”
West, who runs two of the four veterinary clinics in the county, agreed the shelter had problems before the storm, but said he believed they were “institutional” and weren't attributable to any individual.
Lessons learned
Watson, the state veterinarian, said that Katrina had forced increased coordination between the state and local levels, which he hoped would help officials and animal owners plan ahead for future emergencies.
Officials said the relationships forged with other shelters across the United States in Katrina’s aftermath would better enable animals to be cared for and transported out of the area in a timely manner.
“We’ve never had and hope we never have to go through this again. … Now we know what to do the next time,” said Lick, a no-nonsense former Waveland police officer.
Tara High, director of the Southern Mississippi Humane Society in nearby Gulfport, agreed.
“In the future, we’ll definitely be able to have more options in evacuating our animals and having a plan in place to help the community deal with its pets, for people to know their pets will be safe,” she said.
Caring for the survivors
For now, though, attention has been turned to rescuing and caring for the storm’s traumatized survivors, both inside and outside of Gulf Coast shelters.
“They’ll freak out if you go up and try to fill up their water bucket," Lick said. "… (They) act like they’ve been beaten.”
“You know the ones that went through it (the storm) and the ones that didn’t,” she added.
West, the veterinarian, said he had seen an increase in respiratory illness – an affliction also seen in Gulf Coast residents -- since Katrina. He said he had also treated many dogs whose toenails had been pulled off on the metal steps of FEMA trailers. On the positive side, West said he had seen a decrease in pets struck by cars over the past several months.
Just as many Gulf Coast residents who have relied on help from the government and nonprofit groups after their lives were shattered by Katrina, local animals also need a helping hand.
“Something I tell people is that it’s not just the animals – we’ve got to come back to them too,” Lick said.
Changing the face of crime
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This website is a good one for animal donations:
http://www.bestfriends.org/
They do great work.
Tin, Hermosa Beach, CA (Sent Jan 31, 2006 1:46:13 PM)
The laws of this country that govern animal welfare are shamfully lacking in many cities and states. Worse than that, many of the laws against animal cruelty are not enforced. Until we do more to pass and enforce strict anti-curelty laws for animals, we'll continue to see animal abuse. Until people who abandon and abuse animals are given a few years in jail and fined the abuse will not stop. Until we do more to educate the public on the beauty and love animals bring to our lives the cruelty towards animals will not stop. More importantly, until no-kill animal shelters are funded by the government with tax dollars, we'll continue to see homeless animals on the streets.
Norma Remick, 11718 whisper dew, san antonio, texas 78230 (Sent Jan 31, 2006 1:47:59 PM)
It is very heartening to know that there ARE kind and thoughtful people in the world whose tenderness and compassion extend to the animals we share the planet with.. as is often quoted, how we treat animals says a lot about the depth of our civilization.
God bless everyone who cares about the animals..and our companion pets.
mary narkiewicz, portland, oregon (Sent Jan 31, 2006 1:49:49 PM)
There's lots of people out here who are very interested and concerned with the animals who were displaced and disturbed by the hurricane as well as the people - and it's sad that you usually can't find any information about how they're faring. Thank you for this report. I hope Waveland and similar areas are able to forge ahead and learn from what happened here so that it never happens again!
Evelyn, Cincinnati (Sent Jan 31, 2006 1:58:22 PM)
I recently drove to Denver (20 hours round trip) to adopted an Aussie that was a Katrina dog. He is awesome!! I hope more people come forward and help these little animals, and the shelters like Dumb Friends League of Denver who do such amazing work.
Sandy, Oklahoma City
Sandy Boleware, Oklahoma City, OK (Sent Jan 31, 2006 1:58:31 PM)
I agree totally with the statement that people will not evacuate without their pets and they need to know there is somewhere they can go and take their pets with them. That's great that they are trying to build a new facility and prevent tragedy from happening again. All other states should also take notice of this and have some kind of plan for people evacuating with pets. Don't wait until its too late.
Mary Lynn Glen Burnie, Maryland (Sent Jan 31, 2006 1:59:56 PM)
In regards to the above posts, yes, there is a way to donate and there is a website to see animals up for adoption. Go to the hsus.org (Humane Society of the U.S) to donate. Go to Petfinder.com to see animals ups for adoption. Even easier, just go to your local animal rescue and adopt there. They all need help regardless if they are from Katrina or not. FYI- Many hurricane animals are having health problems from ingesting contaminated water, so they may need special care. Another great rescue is in Texas, called tbar.org. The family that runs this rescue was featured on Extreme Home Makeover 2 days ago. They literally went to Louisiana and put up a tent to help rescue animals there. They are definately deserving of your donation. Good Luck!
Amity Amacker (Sent Jan 31, 2006 2:03:31 PM)
It is very sad to hear about all the animals still out there but on the other hand you also want to be happy that more and more are be found every day. Thank you for reporting on this story because it is something i am intrest in. I wanted to go to LA and volunteer to rescue animals but i couldnt work around my school schdule. Keep us updated! thanks!
Missy H. , St. Louis Missouri (Sent Jan 31, 2006 2:07:09 PM)
I live in Rhinelander WI, I would like it to known that I heard that there were Katrina Dogs to be in our area soon. That night I sat down with my husband and we decided that since we wanted dogs that we would get into contact with the woman who brought them up here and adopt two of them. We are getting a beautiful puppy and a very sweet mild tempered female. I felt helpless after the tradegy hit but now I truly feel as though I did my part to help.
Kelley S Rhinelander WI (Sent Jan 31, 2006 2:10:24 PM)
Shame on you, Doe, for pretending to place the welfare of animals on the same plane as the welfare of humanity. Shame on you, Doe, for castigating MSNBC for the excellent coverage they are providing on this sad story. If only people like you could keep things in perspective it would make the job of the SPCA and others responding to the devastating results of Katrina much easier. How did it help that animal rights advocates like you 'screamed' at the SPCA workers. Was it their fault that conditions were as they were?
Jim, Flower Mound ,TX (Sent Jan 31, 2006 2:13:28 PM)
The animals have suffered more then we could ever possibly know. Animals across the world suffer daily at the hands of cruel and ignorant people. There needs to be more done to help in the protection and care of animals. The government needs to aknowledge pets as a part of peoples families and see to it that no pet is left behind again.
Cam B, Cleveland, OH (Sent Jan 31, 2006 2:22:06 PM)
I am just glad that there is coverage relative to the animals. I think the more exposure, the more likely they will receive help, financial and otherwise.
private citizen (Sent Jan 31, 2006 2:23:27 PM)
I agree strongly with Doe's comment. Animals are equally as important as people, so please do not EVER refer to an animal tragedy as 'a small tragedy'. We are the 'rock' for these animals, we cannot abandon them mentally or physically. It hurts to see them get put on backburner so homes can be built for former residents of the affected land. As long as those people have a roof over their head, they're doing better than half of these animals ever did.
Micki, Salem OR (Sent Jan 31, 2006 2:25:09 PM)
It is just sad that even though we hear over and over of how our pets are no longer just pets but family members, officials at local, state and federal level just don't get it. And that it took a disaster like Katrina and Rita for them to realize that many many people would never abandon their pets..
For anyone who is looking to donate for the Katrina animals, check out petfinder.com (They have links to Katrina animal sites) or animalrescuesite.com
Cristina Perez, Boston MA (Sent Jan 31, 2006 2:28:02 PM)
A Bright Spot on Animal Tragedy! Are you kidding me? You people in the "Media" better start making a difference, with your reporting. Reporting something when it matters. It breaks my heart to think of those animals in such pain. They trust us and look what we did to them. There has to be more done, to help and protect them. Especially in an emergency. Pets would give up there lives for us, and this is what you do to them.
Michelle New Jersey (Sent Jan 31, 2006 2:28:38 PM)
Please don't forget them. My hope is that you will continue to follow up on these stories months later and give readers an update.
Alexandra Brain (Sent Jan 31, 2006 2:32:13 PM)
If anyone in the New England area is interested in adopting a Labrador who was surrendered or in a shelter from the hurricane please visit www.labs4rescue.com- a not for profit organization with lots dogs from this area who were given up by owners no longer able to keep them or no one has claimed them.
Nicole K., Brookfield, CT (Sent Jan 31, 2006 2:40:00 PM)
I agree the tragedy of Katrina should never be repeated. All new construction for the two and four legged should be further inland. Our sweet dog came from a shelter, and walking through any of them breaks the heart.
Sandy, Chicago (Sent Jan 31, 2006 2:45:22 PM)
As an animal lover and owner of 2 dogs it distresses me that the animals in the shelter were just forgotten. Is there a website where the animals can be seen that are up for adoption.
Virginia Cannon, Tallanassee, Florida (Sent Jan 31, 2006 2:47:37 PM)
It breaks my heart that these animals are suffering like this. People who are not animal lovers just don't seem to understand. I agree with Doe...what makes these 4 legged friends any different from other family members? My dog one of the family for sure and we would never go anywhere without her.
Mary, Budd Lake, NJ (Sent Jan 31, 2006 2:52:21 PM)
The shelter I volunteer with went down to Louisiana twice to pick up Katrina animals, and the need is still very strong. I believe that animals almost have it worse than people, because at least you can explain things to people - animals only know that the people they love aren't with them anymore and they are scared and frightened. Shelters in the Louisiana area were flooded were totally overwhelmed with animals and many of them ended up being euthanized from lack of space and resources. Even before Katrina the average number of euthanized pets in the U.S. is 10,000 PER DAY. If anyone is considering adopting a pet, please make a rescue shelter your first source for a new pet. There are so many wonderful animals, and so few homes.
Jen O, Oshkosh, WI (Sent Jan 31, 2006 2:55:06 PM)
It's people like you that is helping this country becoming a little better to live here.
Please keep up the good work in saving the animals
Maria Eagle Leominster Ma. (Sent Jan 31, 2006 3:09:51 PM)
Such a sad part of this tragedy but thank you for printing it. I would also like to donate please tell me how.
Emily Mercado Torrance, Calif. (Sent Jan 31, 2006 3:10:45 PM)
Go to the following link for ways to help:
http://animalrescueneworleans.com/index.html#donate
Laura Mann, Little Neck, NY (Sent Jan 31, 2006 3:14:22 PM)
I can't imagine having to evacuate and not take my animals. In fact, I wouldn't leave without them. Alot of people don't take these things into consideration when they get a pet, forgetting that the animal is their responsibility for the rest of the animals life. Every decision that I make (moving, traveling, or not going straight home after work) revolves around my dogs. There should be stricter rules for animal adoption. If you can't care for them at all times, don't get them.
Laura, Kansas City, MO (Sent Jan 31, 2006 3:22:17 PM)
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