At the request of Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter, we are on the ground in Gray, Louisiana, assisting with animal disaster relief efforts in response to Hurricane Francine, which made landfall in the state on Wednesday, September 11, with winds of 100 mph.

Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter (TPAS), a longtime partner of the ASPCA, requested support with daily animal care and enrichment, behavior and veterinary assistance and adoption center operations immediately following the storm’s landfall.

Our disaster response team was deployed to Gray, where TPAS was already managing an overpopulated shelter before the storm’s landfall. We partnered with the Oklahoma Humane Society to coordinate a transport of seven dogs from TPAS to help make room for additional disaster-displaced animals. The dogs, all of whom were unowned and at TPAS prior to the storm, have arrived in Oklahoma City and will be made available for adoption in the coming weeks. We are also providing much-needed pet supplies for pet owners in the community who were directly impacted by the storm, ensuring families can keep their pets with them as they navigate the aftermath of the storm.

“Over many years of collaboration, we’ve seen firsthand how critical animal welfare services are for Terrebonne Parish and surrounding communities, and the ASPCA is grateful to be in a position where we can support Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter with disaster relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Francine,” said Kevin Pigg, Manager of Disaster Response for ASPCA National Field Response. “Working side-by-side helps ensure impacted animals can remain safe and healthy during this difficult time, and the ASPCA will continue to provide support for pet owners and animal welfare organizations impacted by this storm.”

In response to overcrowding at the shelter, TPAS has put out an emergency call to the community, asking for cat and dog foster volunteers. Emergency foster care will help enable TPAS to greatly increase its ability to care for the animals in its shelter over the next days and weeks as the full impact of the storm is realized, taking strain off its staff and opening up valuable kennel space for dogs and cats who are unable to be transported out of the immediate disaster zone. If you live in the Gray area, please consider signing up to be an emergency foster for TPAS.

TPAS disaster response efforts were also made possible through the use of a disaster response equipment storage facility, owned and operated by TPAS through the use of $150,000 in grant funding provided by the ASPCA. This grant was used to partially fund a facility to house disaster response equipment and to purchase disaster response supplies in order to be prepared to assist the local community in times of disaster.

To find out more about Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter and see the animals that are available for adoption, please visit their Facebook page.