Update 10/28/2024:
| A message from our affiliate and coalition partner at True Rescue:
September and October have been two of our worst months ever, after Hurricane Helene devastated so much of North Carolina, especially the Asheville area.
We will devote this news to the heroes that donated, volunteered and gave us the emotional strength we needed to get through this terrible tragedy. This one hit us hard because this was in our backyard, and the damage was so widespread and immense that pictures cannot even begin to describe what we are saw. When we deploy to disaster locations, what we find the need is the most, is to pull existing animals out of their shelters in order to make room for the displaced ones coming in from the flood. Our shelter is already way over capacity, but we carved out room to help with incoming cats/kittens at True Rescue. |
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| When the hurricane hit these rural areas, we just knew we had to go down there and help with the rescue efforts. Here is a short video showing the destruction everywhere. Everyone was super overwhelmed, and there was a great need to transport out of the shelter animals that had been there a long time. This allowed us to make room for animals coming in from the floods & ruins to have a safe place to rest while their owners started rebuilding their lives for eventual reuniting with their loved pets.
Here is a clip showing food being dropped for kittens that had survived a week on their own in Marshall, TN after the floods hit. Some of these felines were brought back to True Rescue, and some have already been adopted. |
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| The first delivery of donated supplies from True Rescue arrived just in the nick of time at the Madison County Animal Shelter. People and Rescues were waiting to get the food as fast as we could unload it. While we were unloading, intakes started arriving as roads opened up and people found their way to open animal shelters. Some animals were surrendered and sent to our facility to make room at the shelter for all the intakes. Madison County gave us permission to assist the Executive Director with helping to organize and set up the shelter, preparing for the influx of animals coming. We also assisted our dear friends at Sister Kitten helping the displaced cats/kittens of Asheville as well as continued care for their colonies and properties that were damaged. |
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| We worked under the umbrella of Madison County out of the Madison County Animal Services. Our team arrived after responding to an immediate need to pull existing animals out of the shelter to make room for displaced animals. This is normally what is needed the most immediately when disaster hits animal shelters. Big groups everywhere were descending to pull out of shelters everywhere else, but Madison County was not being assisted. We contacted BISSELL Pet Foundation, and before we knew it, help had arrived! True Rescue pulled 26 cats/kittens and 2 dogs within the first 48 hours, and all of the remaining dogs and some cats have been pulled from two separate transports from Bissell, with future transports in the works. We stayed on to assist in admin work at the shelter, coordinating transports, both animal and supply, and helping to feed/retrieve animals in the field in Madison County.
Our Executive Director, Amy, went out with the Shelter Director of Madison County Animal Services to try and get pet food out to remote places, where roads had just opened up. As bad as this situation is, neighbors helping neighbors has been tremendous, and everyone is taking care of each other in the best way possible. The food has been very much appreciated. This county was unprepared for this, but they have come together in the most incredible way. To say this is life-changing, is an understatement. We had been asked to stay on as long as possible, so we stayed another week here to continue helping.
The money we are continuing to collect will go towards a grant fund for Madison County and for Sister Kitten out of Asheville, who we are also assisting. They will have greater needs to put towards their rescues in the future, and we will entrust this money to go wherever it is needed the most. We want you to know that the money we are collecting is in the best hands, and we will make sure it goes exactly where it is needed the most. |
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| Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all of you who have given to help this cause. This includes all of our own staff members and volunteers/fosters who have had to step up at home while we have been gone, having to coordinate all of the donations coming in, and work later hours with the influx of animals coming in from the hurricane. Thank you to everyone who has donated financially, through supplies, through transports, and physically by helping at our True Rescue shelter. Thank you to everyone who has given us media support so that we can continue to share our efforts.
| Meanwhile, on the Homefront, emergencies continued as always. Throughout September, we continued to get a huge influx of kitten intakes. This short reel shares the beauty of two sisters, Mama Penny and Mama Money who had their babies 12 hours apart. Mama Money had 5 and Mama Penney had 6, and we added a tiny orphan to the mix, and he just fits right in. This is one of our many happy moments that make us continue to believe every minute of every day that what we do at True Rescue is the right thing to do for every animal we can save! |
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| Here’s an update on our Storm Drain family… We finally caught them all! We’ve been working on a property in Hermitage, TN, trapping 3 young kittens plus their mama, and at first, we had only trapped mama and 1 kitten. Our trappers had to set the traps deep inside of the drainage system to catch the other two, and finally caught them! They are all reunited at the shelter right now, and mama is getting fixed! |
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Our volunteer Michelle, experienced with search and rescue, lost her home in Asheville and is still continuing to do search and rescue while she lives in temporary housing.
Update 10/13/2024 from our affiliate and coalition partner Florida Urgent Rescue as they prepared for Hurricane Milton: They had a driver team on the road with 15 dogs and eight cats from Largo, Florida, heading to a rescue in New Orleans. they had a small Transport the next day and another big one to Virginia the following week. They also had a team in Tennessee working on taking medial cases from Florida! We really appreciate your help… Once again!
Update 10/12/2024: Florida volunteers just checked in at the emergency shelter at Alaqua animal refuge and are trying to help with a transport out in the next week or so. They are still settling animals at a shelter from Helene and need about a week to get some adoptions on board. They have a large load of supplies they are taking down next week and trying to find the best place to take them.
Update 10/8/2024:
Animal Victory Affiliates: Our friends from Sister Kitten and other Rescue Connections working together.
Kitty video- rescued after floating on pallet- River Arts District
This is Amy, below, our affiliate and friend from True Rescue in Tennessee. “I’m heading into my second week here, and am exhausted, but the need is so great to continue helping in Madison County, where True Rescue was asked to stay. We were asked to help with animal transport initially, and it has turned into something much bigger. Emergency sheltering is my wheelhouse and skillset, so even though I’m in my mid-fifties, every day telling myself “I’m too old for this shit”, here I am. Thank you to everyone who has given in any way possible to this cause. This one has hit all of us hard.”
Very Hungry kitties being fed in Marshall, TN who survived a week after Hurricane Helene hit.
New kitten intakes daily.😢
Update 10/6/2024:
Sister Kitten writes” Lots more field work today – feeding cats, delivering and picking up supplies, coordinating donations and volunteers.
One of our colonies lived where this railroad track is now suspended in mid-air. The entire area washed away.
Shockingly, we found our little plastic container feeding station and started feeding again nearby over the weekend in hopes that any of the cats survived.
Well, today we found lots of kitty footprints in the mud around the feeding station! We haven’t seen any of the cats here yet but this gives us hope.
Western North Carolina (our home) has been devastated by Hurricane Helene. Please donate to
help us continue to be there for our neighbors in need.”
| UPDATE 10/4/2024:Yesterday our friends at Piedmont animal rescue delivered over 5000 pounds of animal food and pet supplies to the Rutherford town area.
Today our team was asked for livestock feed & rabbit food in addition to cat & dog food. We are getting funds and supplies out as fast as we can to our affiliates. We are using savings currently until funds arrive.
Sister Kitten desperately needs a few of hand trucks at Asheville Veterinary Associates West. If anyone can donate a couple that convert to carts and a couple with large platforms (for moving around animal feed) please let us know.
If you can ship us a couple quickly, please send them to Asheville Veterinary Associates West, 50 new. Leicester highway, Asheville. Animal Victory has sent two but they need more!
We can’t thank you enough for your donations!
   
UPDATE 10/2/2024: Our friends from Wings of Rescue flew pets from hard-hit Valdosta, Georgia, to safety! Thanks to your generosity, they were able to fly 65 pets out of the Humane Society of Valdosta and the municipal city shelter yesterday, and also provide food for the incoming animals.
Three volunteers are heading out to Asheville tomorrow with water donated by Kentwood Springs Water and a van filled with donated and other needed supplies, as requested by our North Carolina contacts.
The death toll is now over 160 people and countless animals.
Saving Animals From Hurricane Helene
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Dear Supporter,
Hurricane Helene hit the Carolinas, Georgia, and Tennessee leaving a rising death toll of 102 and climbing as of this morning. Over three million people are plunged into darkness with power outages, while entire communities find themselves isolated due to destroyed infrastructure. The situation is dire; particularly in Asheville, N.C. with catastrophic flooding and landslides.
The reality for many animals is grim because some will be tethered, left outside in cages, or simply abandoned as people fled for their survival. |
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There are approximately 24 animal welfare organizations in Asheville that will need help. Animal Victory is affiliated with several boots-on-the-ground organizations that are urgently helping animals in all locations.
We are working to rush funds and supplies to help as many of these agencies as possible to provide rescue, transportation, food, and care to the stranded animals. |
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Your Donation Of Just $2.00 Will Allow Us All To Work Together And Help These Animals During This Devastation.
Please click the red link below if you can help.
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The reality for abandoned animals attempting to endure a hurricane is heart wrenching.
The destruction from Helene isn’t going away anytime soon.
Without question we are committed to fundraise and work with as many organizations for as long as necessary to rescue, assist, and rehome as many animals as we can.
However, we urgently need your support!
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Animal Victory’s fund has helped provide for the rescue and care of over 600 animals utilizing over 50 organizations during crises or disasters since 2021. Read More About Our Impact Here
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Thank you for your love and generosity to save the animals.
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