When Central Texas was hit with severe flooding in mid-July, thousands of people were affected. Many were forced to evacuate, and in the process, hundreds of animals got left behind. As soon as they saw what was happening, rescuers from Austin Pets Alive!
(APA!) came together and got to work.
After hearing about a nearby flooded neighborhood that had been evacuated, APA! rescuers headed there to search for the pets that families were forced to leave behind. The area was already closed off, but after getting help from the fire department, the rescuers were able to find their way in and began pulling the first trapped animals from the rising water.
Over the next three hours, the team worked tirelessly to rescue every animal they saw. They found dogs left in kennels that were half submerged in water, and a kitten trapped in a birdcage inside a flooded shed. They carried animals in their arms, in wheelbarrows and anything else they could find, rushing them to safety as quickly as they could.
Once all of the pets from the neighborhood were safe, the team began working to reunite them with their displaced families, a process that can take a while.
In the wake of the floods, APA! has also been working with local shelters to take in as many animals as they can. They want to make room for lost pets that will likely start flooding in, and unfortunately, the shelters only have so much space.
“When disaster hits like this, government shelters can see ten times their normal number of lost pets come through the door, and animals already past their stray hold are often euthanized just to make room," Dr. Ellen Jefferson, president and CEO of Austin Pets Alive!, said in a press release. "We're here to pull those animals to safety before that happens."
The rescue has also been working with families directly, and recently took in a litter of puppies after one family lost their home and was unable to continue caring for them.
APA! has taken in over 270 animals since the flooding began, and they’ll continue helping everyone affected in every possible way they can think of.
"We don't yet know the full extent of the devastation in these communities, but we know their shelters are being pushed past their limits, and we're not going to stop until we've done everything we can," Jefferson said.
