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| Contact: | Kim Noetzel Communications Manager 623-587-2872 KNoetzel@PetSmartCharities.org |
Emergency Relief to Hurricane Gustav
(Phoenix – September 3, 2008) -- PetSmart Charities has dispatched a fleet of Emergency Relief Waggins®’ – each stocked with 16 tons of supplies valued at $50,000 – to the Gulf Coast to help pets displaced by Hurricane Gustav – and to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Hanna, if needed.
By coordinating relief efforts with local and state officials in Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas, the PetSmart Charities’ emergency response team is ensuring that necessary supplies for animals, and their caregivers, are quickly delivered to the hardest-hit areas.
· The first ER Waggin’ departed from the PetSmart® Distribution Center in Newnan, Ga., late Sunday, August 31, 2008. It arrived in Jackson, Miss., Monday morning and, today, was dispatched to Gray, La., in storm-damaged Terrebonne Parish.· A second ER Waggin’ was dispatched from the PetSmart Distribution Center in Ennis, Texas, on Monday September 1, 2008, to the SPCA of Texas in Dallas. The SPCA of Texas is housing evacuated pets from the storm zone and serving as a dispersal point for supplies to other animal-welfare and sheltering agencies in the area.· A third ER Waggin’ from the PetSmart Distribution Center in Phoenix arrived in Ennis, Texas, Tuesday, and is available to provide rapid response along the Gulf Coast, or will remain on standby pending the impact of Hurricane Hanna later this week.· Additional ER Waggins’ are being readied for deployment to affected areas, as needed, in the days to come.“The assistance we provide during these types of disasters needs to be readily available right away and for several days, possibly weeks, after the storm has passed,” explained Susana Della Maddalena, Executive Director of PetSmart Charities. “Pets will be housed in emergency shelters until their families can return home, assuming their homes have not been damaged. In addition, we expect many more pets that were left behind by their families, or who were stray when the storm hit, to be rescued in the next seven-to-ten days and require sheltering at temporary locations.”
Each of the 53-foot PetSmart Charities’ ER Waggins’ is stocked with 16 tons of emergency animal-care and volunteer supplies valued at $50,000 per load. Supplies include pet food, crates, beds, bowls, litter and litter pans, and other necessary animal-care items, as well as a generator, fans, tents, a battery charger, lights and other supplies to assist the volunteers on site who are caring for displaced companion animals.PetSmart Charities also is responding to requests for monetary support from animal-welfare agencies and shelters, and from government agencies assisting with animal-rescue and sheltering operations.The tragic suffering and death of countless pets after Hurricane Katrina three years ago served as a wake-up call about the importance of ensuring emergency rescue and care for animals affected by disaster, Della Maddalena said.“We provided $2.1 million in monetary grants, as well as supplies valued at more than $784,000 to animal-welfare organizations and shelters in the Gulf Coast region in the aftermath of Katrina, and formally established our Emergency Relief Waggin’ program in 2007 to assist the animal victims of natural and man-made disasters nationwide,” she said. “We never, ever want to see the level of needless suffering and death by so many innocent animals as we did after Katrina struck. We began preparing for Gustav several days before it made landfall, and we will provide necessary assistance as it is requested for as long as it’s needed.”Members of the public who would like to support PetSmart Charities’ ER Waggin’ Program can make a tax-deductible donation in one of two ways:- Make a credit card donation by clicking here.
- Mail a check earmarked for “Emergency Relief” directly to: PetSmart Charities, Attn: Emergency Relief; 19601 N. 27th Avenue, Phoenix, Ariz., 85027.