Watching endless coverage of devastation and misery in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The abnormal number and ferocity of the hurricanes in the last few years has been attributed to abnormally high water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. This may be just the beginning...
I was a little north of Andrew in 1992, and last year was east of 4 hurricanes that devastated my bretheren in western Florida. This is getting to be tedious. While other areas of the country are subject to their own natural disasters, I begin to think that the odds might be better somewhere else...
By the by, no postings from Mississippi blogger Shawn Zehnder Lea. Her last posting yesterday morning was that the end of their house had just been hit by a neighbor's tree. Best of luck, Shawn. Hope you have good insurance and a generator, though if you have a generator, you would probably use some of the power to let the world know you are OK. After Andrew, my husband and I had to drive 200 miles north of Miami to buy a generator and chain saw. Everything closer was sold out.
Also concerned about an animal sanctuary in Caledonia, Mississippi. I first heard about Cedarhill Animal Sanctuary a couple of years ago during a short piece on a morning news show. This non-profit organization rescues and cares for abused, neglected and abandoned cats--lions, tigers, cougars and leopards. In addition, they provide homes for domestic cats, dogs, potbellied pigs, and most recently, a couple of blind horses. Most of these animals were bought by humans as cute babies, and later abandoned or neglected as they got big and hard to manage.
At this point, I am very concerned about how they fared in this hurricane. Problems faced by people would be compounded when you need to refrigerate hundreds of pounds of meat as well as provide clean water and medications for this many animals, probably in the absence of power and running water.
In addition, to feeding and housing over 200 animals, they arrange for very expensive veterinary care.
Executive Director Kay McElroy and her staff go the extra mile loving and caring for these animals.
Why do I talk about animals in the face of the human devastation from Hurricane Katrina? Because in times of natural disaster, money rolls in to charities that care for humans and tends to dry up to those that care for animals. When you open your purse to give, please give a little extra---for the animals.
1400 EDT.Addendum. Just got a call back from Kay McElroy. They had a lot of trees downed, and extensive wind and water damage. They have no electricity. All the food for the animals has spoiled. (Except that a pear tree came down---that will provide a generous supply of food for the pot-bellied pigs). Kay said the tigers greeted the storm as if it were a giant shower-party, running around and frolicking like kittens.
At this point, they are awaiting the arrival of a generator, and rely on day to day deliver of food. All the animals and people survived unscathed. They could sure use some help getting through this crisis--please think of them as you give to help hurricane victims.
My compliments on your blog! Your compelling topics inspired me to
plunge in and make my first blog comments:
I was in Miami for Andrew in 1992 and recall that I was most struck by the fact that the city looked more like it had been bombed, than hit by a storm. I see even worse devastation with Katrina. The suffering (human and animal) that will result from this hurricane is inconceivable, and has only just started. I will definitely be breaking out the checkbook...
Please keep us posted on the sanctuary!
Posted by: Rareik | August 30, 2005 at 09:16 PM