Hundreds of pets in southern Louisiana have been saved from devastating floodwaters thanks to the heroic efforts of many.
The deluge that started with heavy rainfall Friday has left at least 10 people dead, but responders have rescued more than 20,000 people and more than 600 animals as of Tuesday.
“It does present a lot of challenges, but our agents have been trained for this,” the organization told Fox News. “What our guys do is very heroic - they are going into these neighborhoods, the terrain is very treacherous, they work throughout the night.”
“I flipped my kitchen table upside down and put my dogs on it. They were floating on it as high as I could hold it steady.”
Members of the Louisiana State Animal Response Team have also been monitoring floodwaters and sending out teams to assist with rescue efforts. One of LSART’s teams in Baton Rouge included Mark Buchert who got a special “thank you” from a dog he helped rescue from flood waters on August 15, pictured below.
On August 12, Denham Springs Animal Shelter in New Orleans made a bold move to save its animals. The shelter was completely engulfed in rising floodwaters. Staff and volunteers fought to save as many animals as possible but eventually unlatched the kennel’s doors so that the dogs could swim out and climb onto the facility’s roof to safety, according to the shelter’s GoFundMe page.
A volunteer from Denham Springs Animal Shelter told The Dodo, that the dogs were transported to higher ground and volunteers and residents who did not evacuate are now assisting the shelter in providing temporary care and food for the animals.
Smaller animal rescues have also taken place across the state as well.
In Baton Rouge, dramatic footage was captured on video of a rescue team pulling a woman and her dog from a sinking car.
Diane Andrews, a 69-years-old woman from Baton Rouge, also saved her five dogs from drowning thanks to some quick thinking.
“My trailer sits three feet off the ground and [water] was inside in no time,” Andrews told a Huffington Post reporter on the scene in Baton Rouge. “I flipped my kitchen table upside down and put my dogs on it. They were floating on it as high as I could hold it steady.”
Andrews was eventually rescued by her brother and is now staying on a cot in a shelter with her five pups.
One photo posted on Facebook on August 13, which has received over 6,000 shares, even shows a man pulling a boat full of sheep.
Efforts to save animals from floodwaters are still underway in Louisiana. You can help support LSART efforts by making a donation here.
If you live in or near New Orleans, shelters are in need of supplies like leashes, metal water bowls and wire crates in order to help care for rescued animals. WWLTV has listed a number of local drop-off sites in New Orleans for supplies.
If you live in Louisiana and would like to foster a displaced animal, you can also fill out an application here.
See other ways to help those affected here.
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