At the request of Citrus County Animal Services and Franklin County Humane Society (FCHS), we’ve been assisting on the ground in the Southeast following the devastation of Hurricane Helene in several Southern states including Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.

In Florida, our team has been conducting water and land search-and-rescue assessments and supporting the impacted communities with pet food and other critical supplies for animals and pet owners affected by the story. Our disaster response team is engaging with impacted shelters across the state, as well as state-level agencies, to coordinate additional animal sheltering and disaster response needs. Escambia County Department of Animal Welfare has also been assisting the ASPCA with emergency relief efforts in Citrus County.

“In the aftermath of storms such as Hurricane Helene, the ASPCA’s priority is to provide local agencies with the critical support and resources they need to safely care for animals affected by disasters,” said Clint Ganus, Manager of Disaster Response, ASPCA. “The full impact of this devastating hurricane is still being realized and we are immensely grateful to the many disaster response partners who are working together to bring displaced animals to safety and help impacted families care for their pets during this challenging time.”

In addition to these efforts, we also assisted with the emergency transport of 37 shelter cats from FCHS in Eastpoint, Florida, after the shelter experienced flooding. The cats – all of whom were unowned and at FCHS prior to the hurricane’s catastrophic landfall – arrived in Sarasota, Florida, on Sunday, September 29. Shelter staff from Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League (West Palm Beach) and Cat Depot (Sarasota) were on-site to receive the cats, and are now providing around-the-clock medical and behavioral care until the felines are made available for adoption in the coming weeks.

“During severe storms like Hurricane Helene, it’s crucial for animal welfare organizations to work together across disaster-impacted communities to continue meeting the needs of animals in shelters,” said Jasmine Holsinger, Senior Manager of animal placement for ASPCA Shelter Services. “This collaboration not only ensures the safety of these cats but also frees up vital resources at Franklin County Humane Society to help other local animals in need as a result of Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic impacts. We're immensely grateful to our shelter partners for their unwavering dedication during what has proven to be an incredibly challenging time across the state of Florida, as their collaboration helps these cats have the best chance at finding loving homes.”

This transport of over three dozen shelter cats is part of our wider disaster relief in the Southeast. While our response continues, we are also urgently relocating dogs from the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center in the Asheville, North Carolina area to our Cruelty Recovery Center in Ohio.

We will continue to assess the needs in these affected communities and remain ready to assist in further disaster relief efforts.