Hi. This is April, down here in
MS. The eye of Katrina went 20 miles east of us, but we live far
enough north that we only had one fence come down and our power was out for a
while. We moved here last year due to my husbands job transfer. We
were almost sent to New Orleans.
We are on several lists to get
in rescued horses till their owners are found and can take them back.And on
the local human society list to house anything that comes threw except cats
and dogs. I don't know how many we are getting yet. Rescue is still unable
to get into many areas. If anyone wishes to donate for gas money to drive south
and pick up rescues, or for hay or vet help, I am keeping records and
receipts on how the money is spent and turning them in to ATHA
office.
We have been asked by the
local human society to take horses with no coggins papers. Donations or gift
certificates if you can find any to labs who do quick tests and fax result
would be great. We are south of the state line and will be a holding point for
horses going to rescue homes north while their paperwork gets done.
My town had a population of just
over 700 at the last census, with a median family income of $27,000/yr. The town
has grown a lot since then, but is still a very small town in one of the poorest
counties in MS. The town has set up a shelter for 100 human refugees
in the old highschool gym.There are a hand full of volunteer red cross
staff that live here. The rest of the shelter staff is volunteers
from town. It is being staffed 24/7 until we run out of
refugees. The churches are taking turns providing food each day in a
rotating schedule.
We need: pillow cases,
flashlights, batteries, metal or plastic shelving, lysol spray, bleach, school
supplies, ensure, canes, pedialyte, disposable thermometer covers, 18 quart
storage boxes with tops, water hoses, hangers, pet food, stamps, and phone
cards. The local stores are selling needed supplies to the shelters at
store cost.
I have personally taken my
barn fridge, board games, puzzles, all extra school supplies, sleeping
bags, all the eggs my chickens lay for as long as we have
refugees, fans, pet crates, stuff.... basically everything at my
house that I can. Besides taking and transpiration horses and ponies,
my family is volunteering as food service, phone answering, sorting
and handling supplies, child care,.and forwarding funds to the local human
society agents ear marked for vet car for equines only.
If anybody wants to donate for
our local shelter, please earmark funds for equine rescue/feed, equine vet
care, or human rescue shelter. Please include your email address with
your stuff. I will be sending personal stories and updates to the list
of people who donate so that you know where your stuff went and who it
helped.
Any extra
items donated to Byhalia Resource Shelter will go to one of the
other local Red Cross Shelters.
As of 5pm the local shelter sent word to the main office that we are now
ready to host busses. We have been told they have no idea when the busses will
come but we are expecting 150 people when they do make it. They are on the way.
20 families, 4 dogs and a guinea pig have already been to the shelter and placed
with families in town who volunteered empty bedrooms. A single mother and infant
were taken to the hospital. These were families straggling north with
nothing but the car,clothes on there backs and no homes to go back to. They will
be staying until they can find jobs or a place to go. A truck is being loaded
with anything we do not have storage space for. As soon as it is full, we are to
call the large shelter in the next county. Trucks will be headed to Red
Cross shelters in Jackson, with police escorts, as fast as
we can load them. Last I heard the normally 2-3 hr drive is taking
14hrs.
