Animals are still being saved from Iowa floodwaters.

The Best Friends Rapid Response team still maintains the same level of commitment to saving those pets trapped by the flood in Oakville, Iowa. This past weekend, in addition to their continued house to house grid search, the team has been following up on requests to visit specific addresses.

In once instance, they were pleased discover that the family who had requested help with six cats and a puppy had arrived shortly before their appearance, resulting in a very happy reunion. Another request was from a woman whose mother had been evacuated from her trailer and was forced to leave her cat George behind. The water had continued to rise in the area, and by the time they arrived, the trailer was submerged in several feet of water. They did a “float and search” throughout the trailer and George now owes Richard Cook all his nine lives, after he opened a kitchen cupboard door to find the frightened feline. (see a video of George’s rescue)

Originally the team was expected to move toward Burlington, but Cook met with Code 3 at the Lee County Fairgrounds and it was determined that they would continue to be best utilized in Oakville and other outlying areas. So they have continued their searches of the area homes, in addition to following up on the requests for assistance that they are still receiving. Several more cats have been rescued, adding up to a total of 21 since last Wednesday.

The local community has been extremely appreciative of the work that Best Friends is doing. In fact, yesterday a veterinarian offered help with the rescued animals and has pledged additional support throughout the Best Friends rescue effort.

The water has now begun to recede and small patches of ground are appearing in town. As a result, the team has started to leave food and water in those places where animals have been spotted, but are not yet captured.

For more details from the past weekend, see the Day 4 entry from Laurel Anderson and Day 5 entry from Barb Davis from Notes from the Field Blog, which chronicles the ongoing rescue effort from the front lines.

TWO WAYS YOU CAN HELP:

1. Help fund Best Friends’ effort to save companion animals trapped by the Iowa floodwaters with an online donation to the Best Friends Rescue Fund or phone in a contribution to 435-644-2001 ext. 4801.

2. Interested in helping? We have no call-out for deployment at this time; however, we are establishing a “ready” list.

Before we are able to send volunteers in to the field, they must complete some specific coursework, which is available through the FEMA website. At this time, only volunteers with proof that they hold the following FEMA courses will be placed on the “ready” list.

The first four are REQUIRED. The last one is PREFERRED.

- FEMA ICS 100 Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS)
- FEMA ICS 200 ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
- FEMA IS 700 National Incident Management System (NIMS): Introduction
- FEMA IS 800.B National Response Framework: An Introduction
- FEMA IS 10 Animals in a Disaster, Module A: Awareness and Preparedness

After you’ve taken the courses, please contact Ellen Gilmore at elleng@bestfriends.org to find out more about joining the Best Friends Rapid Response team.

For more information:
• Iowa Floods Special Feature
• Best Friends Animal Society Rapid Response Community
• United Animal Nations
• List of Iowa facilities offering animal sheltering services for those affected by the flood
• Kirkwood Community College, loacted in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has set up a temporary animal shelter for animals displaced by the floods.
• Those who have left pets behind are asked to contact Animal Help at Best Friends by calling 435-644-2001 ext. 4789 or by e-mail, animalhelp@bestfriends.org, please be sure to include “Midwest Floods” in the subject line. Animals not immediately claimed will be cared for by the Mediapolis Veterinary Clinic

Special Note from Ellen Gilmore, Best Friends Volunteer Project Coordinator: The Iowa EOC has asked for Best Friends’ assistance, and we are doing swift water search and rescue only. At this time, Best Friends is not directly involved with sheltering or caring for the animals in Iowa or deploying volunteers.

Although you may have noticed that other groups are requesting volunteers, Rich advises these are considered convergent volunteers (no certifications required) for the day-to-day efforts, and that our team is being kept on hold for more technical and tactical work, if needed.

Some of these groups may host communities on the Best Friends Network where content is posted freely by web site members and may or may not reflect the opinions, goals, or mission of Best Friends Animal Society.

Posted by Jennifer Hayes, Best Friends Staff
Photo credit: taken by Molly Wald