Crisis subsides as Delaware Humane Association, Kent County SPCA and DE SPCA step in with help.
A large number of chickens who perished still being assessed; Delaware is developing state-of-the-art Disaster Preparedness plan for animals..
Concerned animal lovers across Delaware began calling and emailing to mobilize for help as soon as the crisis became known, reportsTammy Magaha, President of Whimsical Animal Rescue, Inc. and Sussex County Animal Association.
Whimsical Animal Rescue is the organization which originally put out the alert for the animals of Seaford. "Things are fine here now. We got calls on 13 dogs and 5 horses stranded/swimming etc. All have gotten back to their owners..."
At a previously planned meeting of Sussex County animal rescue groups this evening (Thursday June 29th), Ms. Magaha said that she was very quickly contacted by Delaware Humane Association with offers of help, and was asked to refer all calls to Delaware Humane or Kent County SPCA for assistance. Since Whimsical is a small local group, these larger organizations stepped forward to use their capabilities to provide the assistance the animals needed.
Ms. Magaha recounted the story of 2 men, walking through water up to their chest as they rescued 2 horses stranded near Woodland Ferry. The slow-going rescue took hours, and the horses are now safe.
Whimsical Animal Rescue is still holding 3 horses, but they are expected to go back to their owners next week once their pastures and stables are cleaned up.
On a sad note, Ms Magaha reports that 2 cats in the care of a person in her foster network did drown in a garage during the flood; a third survived by floating out in a litter pan. And Ms. Magaha does report: "There were many cats that were killed and I am sure lots of dogs since Seaford has many people who keep their dogs on chains in their back yards."
Interestingly, Tammy Magaha is no stranger to helping animals in floods - during Hurricane Katrina, she was deployed by HSUS to Slidell, LA and ended up spending one week (along with her 18-year old daughter) at the Lamar-Dixon Shelter. Tammy Magaha is also an ardent advocate for pit bulls, and lives with a much-loved rescued pit bull "baby" of her own.
Another Seaford rescue group, Homeless Cat Helpers, Inc., reports they also received 2 calls on cats during the flood, and that the cats are both safe. Homeless Cat Helpers primarily serves Western Sussex County, and provides low-cost spay/neuters for low-income families and TNR initiatives for feral cats.
In Northern Delaware, as rivers raged and overflowed, the major humane organizations are continuing to monitor the situation.
Chickens Die in Huge NumbersThe number of chickens and other farm animals who drowned or suffocated in the Delmarva area may never be ascertained and could be in the tens of thousands or more. Agencies are beginning the process of calculating the loss.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that in Finchville(Dorchester County) MD, one farmer alone lost 30,000 4-week old baby chickens, who "suffocated Sunday morning when a foot of torrential rain hammered this Eastern Shore village, seeped into (the farmer's) low-slung chicken house and rose far above the heads of the confused birds.
Now the birds' bodies are piled in shoulder-high stacks, giving off the almost-unbearable stench of rotting chicken flesh and soggy manure."
Delaware SPCA Advances First-Class Disaster Preparedness Plan for AnimalsGerald Linkerhof, Shelter Manager for the Delaware SPCA shelter in Georgetown, has been working with local and state officials and volunteers on plans for an innovative and comprehensive program: Delaware Animal Disaster Services (DADS). Mr. Linkerhof conceived of this program, complete with highly visible day-glow green vests for volunteer rescuers, months prior to this current flood disaster. He unveiled the plans (and those great vests!) at the meeting this evening.
DADS will give workshops on what people can do for themselves and their pets so they do not become victims during a disaster. DADs will be broadly based in each local community by coordinating volunteers with neighborhood Homeowners' associations ready to mobilize during an actual disaster.
And in a precedent-setting step, DADS is working on designating and setting up a shelter facility specifically for animals to be evacuated to. It will be several months before this shelter facility is identified. When it is up and running, Mr. Linkerhof said it will be the first of its kind in the state.
More details about this awesome program to follow .....stay tuned to Delaware Best Friends.
And thanks to animal lovers across the state, and from other states, who reached out to us here. After any crisis, donations are especially appreciated. Delaware Humane Association, Kent County SPCA, and Delaware SPCA websites are all listed in our "Resources" sections.
To visit the website for Whimsical Animal Rescue and Sussex County Animal Association,
click here.See Related Flood StoryClick HerePhoto: chromiumconnection.com