The Rescues Continue

Rapid Response saves the stereotypical “cat stuck up in a tree.”

Yesterday, just when they thought they were finished for the day, a report came in from someone who had heard a cat meowing. Back out again, the Best Friends Rapid Response team heeded the call of a cat who had sought refuge from the floods in a tree. The rescue of a big orange tabby made for a dozen cats saved for the day, (for more of his rescue details and a video, see Up a tree with a cat named Squirrel).

The team now has two boats which will allow them to cover a greater area. This is a good thing, as word has spread about Best Friends’ rescue efforts. In addition to five requests on site, the Best Friends Animal Help department received two calls asking them to recover pets who they had been forced to leave behind. The Rapid Response team departed shortly after sunrise this morning to begin searching for those homes, including one reported to contain six cats and one puppy.

Although the team’s focus is on companion animals, they have helped herd several swimming pigs onto rooftops and porches.

Fortunately, the predicted rain has held off so far. As a result, water in some areas has begun to slowly recede, although this causes some pressure buildups which results in faster currents.

This afternoon, the Rapid Response team is expected to head south to Burlington, per the request of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

For more details from yesterday, see Ethan Gurney’s blog entry from day three in Notes from the Field, which chronicles the ongoing rescue effort from the front lines.

THREE 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. Sponsor Andrew Prendeville’s race in Newton, Iowa. All funds donated from his race on Saturday, June 21 will be allocated to the Iowa flood rescue. To make a pledge, please go to the Racing Laps for Best Friends donation page. For more information, see the Racing Laps for Best Friends website and Driving for Donations in Iowa, June 21

3. 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:
• Best Friends deploys rescue team to Iowa
• Best Friends Animal Society Rapid Response Community
• United Animal Nations
• List of Iowa facilities offering animal sheltering services for those affected by the flood
• 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 featuring Richard Crook holding Squirrel, after having been rescued from the tree.