EL DORADO HILLS, Calif., Jan. 2, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Noah's Wish is working to assist the We Care Animal Rescue Shelter in St. Helena, California after floods forced the staff to evacuate all of their animals. The no-kill shelter, which houses mostly pets with special needs, placed its 5 dogs in foster care, and moved all 113 cats into a modular trailer. The shelter was deluged with several feet of water after powerful storms battered the area.
We Care Animal Rescue Shelter Assistant Director Anne Reilley called Noah's Wish for assistance after working through the night to evacuate the animals one by one from the shelter. "The cats were in a panic and many were actually in the water struggling to get out," said Reilley. "Many others clung to shelves and any perch they could manage to find sopping wet after having already been in the water. One cat that was trapped in the high water suffered from hypothermia, but she was quickly stabilized and all of the animals are safe.
Noah's Wish Founder and President Terri Crisp is on-site with volunteers from the organization's National Animal Disaster Response Team. "Our first goal will be to get the shelter staff operational again so they are able to respond to the needs of the community," said Crisp. The building was completely destroyed and the shelter needs donations for the purchase and installation of modular units to house the animals for the next few months until the building can be rebuilt.
Noah's Wish is warning pet owners and ranchers to take action and prepare for flooding and possible mudslides and is available to assist shelters, farmers or individuals. Persons in need should call Noah's Wish at (916) 939-9474 or contact their local animal shelter or emergency management office.
"Now is the time to move livestock to higher ground and prepare to bring your companion animals with you if forced to evacuate" said Terri Crisp Founder and President of Noah's Wish. "Water levels will continue to rise very quickly over the next few days, closing escape routes very quickly," said Crisp. "Don't wait until the last minute to get your family and animals to safety."
Noah's Wish warns those who are responsible for animals that it is essential to bring the animals with them if forced to evacuate. If you absolutely cannot bring them leave enough food and water for several days and make sure all animals have an identification tag with a working phone number on it.
Noah's Wish recently returned from a three-month rescue operation in Slidell, Louisiana rescuing nearly 2,000 animals in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
www.wecareanimalrescue.org
Donations can be mailed to: 1345 Charter Oak Avenue St. Helena, CA 94574. Phone lines are not working, but a message may be left at (707) 963-7044. Email: wecarear@sbcglobal.net