7/23: The last California Noah's Wish volunteers have returned from North Dakota. They have worked under extremely difficult circumstances. One seasoned veteran said that she had never been in such a difficult deployment before.
The Noah's Wish volunteers are returning to a hero's welcome. We are all proud of their accomplishments and extremely grateful for their dedication and service. This is what we train for.
Support for the local shelter has been transferred to other organizations such as IFAW and North Valley Animal Defense Group (NVADG). Others are mobilizing. Californians will continue to play an important role in this disaster response.
It is not just the magnitude, there are all sorts of other challenges that have rarely been seen at other deployments. Undoubtedly, for all organizations involved, this deployment will lead to further analysis and hopefully a better definition of the conditions under which deployment should be considered. The lessons learned in Minot should impact future disaster response.
7/19: Help is on its way. IFAW and North Valley Animal Disaster Group (California) are sending a small team to help with the animals in the Souris Valley Animal Shelter. The heat wave is impacting rescue operations. At least it is not raining. Updates on the Noah's Wish web site!
7/18: Floodwaters begin to recede. Unfortunately many home that have been under water these weeks are unsalvageable. FEMA warns that funding may not be enough to compensate owners. Updates on the Noah's Wish web site!
7/15 continued: A possible tornado has hit 'Tent City' - an area where Minot residents were camping (many with animals). Noah's Wish volunteers are entering the area to assess damage. DART's Jim Breuner arrived in Minot today. Updates on the Noah's Wish web site!
7/15 Flood waters continue to be high. It seems that a dam upstream (in Canada) that had been closed to reduce the waterflow to Minot had to be opened and that a lot of water was actually added to the rivers. On the one hand this meant that so far flood waters have not risen as high as they otherwise would have. On the other, it means that there still is way too much water. Photos and updates on the Noah's Wish web site!
7/13: Mass vaccinations thanks to a number of veterinary volunteers. The animals are now better prepared for a longer stay. Noah's Wish is asking for volunteers in August. Bless their hearts! They will stay with the animals. Photos and updates on the Noah's Wish web site!
7/11: The members of the Noah's Wish advance team are returning home to California. New volunteers arrive at Minot almost daily. The advance team were the first to reach the shelter and provided much needed relief and professional skills. So far, as animals went home, new animals arrived.
There is more rain in the area and as a result things are slowing down. From time to time bridges are raised because of the flood water. Additional volunteers are expected to arrive today with another team arriving over the weekend. Noah's Wish is committed to helping the Souris Valley Animal Shelter and the American Red Cross provide the best possible care for the victims of the disaster (human and animals). Together, we are really saving the whole family. Don't you wish that this was standard operating procedure?
7/10: Carla and four other volunteers have arrived and were put to work immediately. In order to save money Carla took Greyhound from California. It took 47 hours to get to Minot. More volunteers are en route and a second wave has been scheduled to arrive later this month.
7/8: Assisting local volunteers the Noah's Wish Advance Team reorganized cat care. Before it used to take 10 hours, now the cleaning routine is down to 3 hours. This is freeing up time to address other issues in animal care.Additional volunteers are en route. DART members Carla Blessing and Jim Breuner look forward to joining the NW team and in particular DART member Charlie Crosby in Minot.
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
7/7: Noah's Wish volunteers have started work in Minot at the Souris Valley Animal Shelter. They are helping local volunteers care for the more than 500 animals in the shelter.Some of the animals were dehydrated and Noah's Wish volunteers are helping to improve the care for these animals. More volunteers are en route to Minot. Noah's Wish expects that they will be on the ground for weeks... A rotation is being set up to provide timely replacements.
More than 500 animals are in the Souris Valley Animal Shelter in Minot, North Dakota. They have been displaced as a result of the flooding of the Souris river. Thousands of homes have been evacuated. Many homes were lost. Noah's Wish is sending a team of volunteers to help care for the animals. The animals need your financial support!!!
Souris Vally Animal Shelter is a privately run pet-friendly shelter: many of the owners are helping care for the animals. Video from Minot shows that while volunteers are doing the best they can, they are tired, outnumbered and overwhelmed. The heroic volunteers from Minot have been taking care of the animals for weeks now. Fatigue has set in. Many of them have lost their homes.
The news is not good. Hundreds, if not thousands of homes that have been almost completely submerged will have to be rebuilt. Before the floods there was a shortage of housing in Minot. Today things are much. much worse.
The video below shows the state of the shelter before Noah's Wish arrived.
Noah's Wish Lead Coordinator Mari Donovan was in Minot a couple of weeks ago, helping Souris Valley Animal Shelter set up the emergency animal shelter. Now, Noah's Wish volunteers from all over the US have arrived in Minot to help the local folks.
However, the cost of going to Minot is very hight. For example: a flight from SFO costs approximately $1,100.
Noah's Wish can only help the animals with YOUR support.
Please donate today to bring professional emergency animal sheltering expertise to Minot at the Noah's Wish web site: http://www.noahswish.info/Donations.html
Finally, please sign up for the Noah's Wish training and become part of the solution to these problems.
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
