NYC Animal Planning Task Force Manages Reunification Efforts for Pets Lost during Hurricane Sandy

NEW YORK—The New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Animal Planning Task Force, in an effort to reunite lost pets with their families, urges individuals looking for lost pets to visit Animal Care & Control of NYC (AC&C’s) lost pets website, which includes images and descriptions of pets displaced by Hurricane Sandy.

"The ASPCA and other members of the Animal Planning Task Force are committed to helping reunite lost pets with their families," said Tim Rickey, senior director of ASPCA Field Investigations and Response. "We encourage individuals looking for lost pets to first visit AC&C's website, and pet owners who have identified their animal should then call the Hurricane Sandy pet hotline."

Nearly 50 animals went to AC&C shelters as strays in the wake of the storm, and the animals were later transferred to the ASPCA Emergency Boarding Facility in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn to provide temporary sheltering for hundreds of animals displaced by Hurricane Sandy. The ASPCA Emergency Boarding Facility was made possible by a $500,000 grant provided by television personality, bestselling author and animal advocate Rachael Ray.

To view pets displaced by Hurricane Sandy, please visit: http://nycacc.org/EmergencyBoardingFacility.htm

Pet owners who have identified their lost pet on the AC&C’s website should call the Hurricane Sandy pet hotline (347-573-1561), or visit the ASPCA Emergency Boarding Facility at the following location:

ASPCA Emergency Boarding Facility
1508 Herkimer Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11233
Open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Animal Planning Task Force includes representatives from the ASPCA, the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, AC&C, NYC Veterinary Emergency Response Team, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, American Red Cross in Greater New York, Bideawee, Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Veterinary Medical Assistance Team One. 

Pet owners are also encouraged to visit the AC&C Care Centers to look for lost pets: http://nycacc.org/Locations.htm

For the latest updates on the ASPCA’s response for Hurricane Sandy, please visit www.aspca.org.