In the devastation caused by recent floods in the Midwest, every city and town has its stories of families, livestock, and pets left homeless, injured, or even killed in the disaster.
One such story hit close to home for me, when one of my colleagues at PetHobbyist.com, who goes by the name of PHRascal, blogged about the flood's impact on her own town of Cedar Rapids, Iowa:
There are no words in the English language to adequately describe the extent of devastation here, but losses for the state of Iowa already have exceeded those of Katrina, and the tally climbs daily. There are over 25,000 newly homeless people in Cedar Rapids now. Over 1300 city blocks of this town were flooded. The flood waters have receded and the massive cleanup has begun, but it is going to be years before this town recovers from this catastrophe.
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There are countless stories of loss and heartache, and many stories now of heroism, altruism and dedication to rebuilding this fine town. Iowans are helping Iowans as they always do in a crisis, but I want to put in a plug for one place that really needs help.
The city animal shelter was destroyed by the flood and those animals are now being housed at Kirkwood Community College. Fortunately, Kirkwood has agricultural programs and a vet tech program, along with a beautiful new equestrian arena and several barns. Kirkwood is also the temporary home to nearly 1000 animals, including pets rescued from flooded areas, new strays since the flood and drop-offs by owners who have lost their homes and currently cannot care for their pets.
As you can imagine, the expense is huge for this kind of undertaking. Each animal is microchipped, vaccinated, bathed and examined by a veterinarian on arrival. Medical needs are addressed. Local veterinarians have been generous with their time and volunteers have done a yeoman’s job of helping to care for the ever increasing number of animals. PetSmart and other businesses have contributed much needed supplies. HSUS, EARS and other national rescue groups have been helping rescue, transport and care for the animals. Even an HSUS group from Missouri has been here helping. I have volunteered out there and can attest that the animals are receiving excellent care.
Her full account is here.
PHRascal said that Kirkwood Community College has set up a "Friends of the Cedar Rapids Animal Shelter" fund and is accepting donations to support these efforts. You can donate online here; be sure to indicate the donation is for "Friends of Cedar Rapids Animal Shelter."
Another organization Rascal says can definitely use help is the local dog park, which is underwater. You can view photos of the damage here, and donate to help them restore the park here. It is also a 501(c)3 organization and any donations are tax deductible.
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