My pets and Harvey

My+pets+and+Harvey

It wasn’t just the humans losing homes during Hurricane Harvey, countless of pets were displaced and lost homes that were either completely destroyed or empty from their owners moving away. But it wasn’t that we weren’t prepared. Several days before the storm hit, The Humane Society began to clear out shelters in Corpus Christi, but unfortunately, not all animals got the opportunity to leave and stay safe. During the horrific storm, many animals were left by the owners when they were evacuating. Thousands of animals could be seen in the high waters trying to find dry land but not many were rescued.

Fortunately, organizations such as, the Humane Society of the United States, Wings of Rescue, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, GreaterGood.org, the Best Friends Animal Society and others were able to rescue as many as they could. But their work was not yet finished when the storm had past. They couldn’t just let these poor creatures be lost and wandering around Houston and Corpus Christi. They made plans to fly the animals that were already in the shelters out of Texas and New Orleans to bring in the displaced animals. They flew 108 cats and dogs out the first day and 100 the next. The new goal is to now find the home and the new home for these lost animals.

Thanks to these thoughtful organizations, people were able to reunify with there missing pets. Alexis Turner, Westside senior, claims that she was “riding” a wreck train trying to find her beloved pets. “I was looking day and night for my 3 cats that went missing during the storm. I almost gave up when the sun came back but then I heard about what the animal organizations are doing so i went down to several SPCA’s and finally was reunited with my cats,” says Alexis. Another Westside senior, Ethan (Hope) Guerra, went through a similar situation. “I only have one dog and she’s been my best friend since I moved to Texas. I almost had a panic attack when she went missing during night three of the hurricane. I thought i would never see her again. But on the Wednesday after the storm had passed, my family recieved a call from the Humane Society claiming that they had my dog. I was so happy that she was safe,” Ethan said. These students were one of the many who gut lucky to reunite with their beloved pets. Hurricane Harvey effected so many students in so many ways, it was devastating. Many students lost their pets forever, But the organizations are trying their hardest to get everyones pet back home and reunite them with their families, fortunately, like Alexis and Ethan did.

Ethan Guerra and her best friend reunite after being separated by the storm.

Even though the storm had effected us in many different ways, there are people willing to help each other get their families back together. So if you have any lost pets or know anyone who has lost their pets, please contact the organizations down below to see if your loved ones are kept in shelters or  you can have the opportunity to adopt any of the animals that they have rescued: