It happens every year. When hurricanes come to shore and evacuation warnings are given, people pack up and head out in the hopes of avoiding disaster. But as people leave their homes and cities, they sometimes find themselves forced to leave their pets behind.
Many of these animals end up in local shelters who quickly become overwhelmed by the sheer number of new pets they had to accept. When a shelter usually reaches capacity, they can often rely on locals to open their homes to homeless cats and dogs.
But if the entire city is evacuating because of a storm, fewer people means fewer chances for adoption. That's just what's happening now at the
Pender County Animal Shelter, an animal rescue organization in North Carolina currently in the path of Hurricane Florence.
The shelter says they are overcrowded and may have to begin euthanizing animals to make space. Clearly, for any animal shelter, killing the animals they care for is the last resort, but if no one can take these pets in, or they can't get the resources they need, they will have no other choice. While North Caroline officials are working hard to ensure their human residents survive the storm, they should also take their feathered and four-legged citizens into consideration as well. One way to do so would be to provide resources to affected county animal shelters, like the one in Pender County, so they don't have to put down any of the animals they were hoping to save.
Please sign this petition and tell Governor Roy Cooper to take immediate action to aid animal shelters in the eye of Hurricane Florence. Together, we can help save hundreds of pets in need.