Hurricane Gustav
Ronnie Graves
Description
Collection
Title:
Hurricane Gustav
Creator:
Ronnie Graves
Date:
9/9/2008
Text:
Once again, our Sumter Disaster Animal Response Team, Inc, was called into
action prior to Hurricane Gustav hitting the Louisiana coast. We received a
call from the director of Emergency Services of the Humane Society of the
United States, a not for profit group. We supplied our transport rig, two
animal handlers and a driver to respond in their transport rig. You can see
these rigs at www.sumterdart.org
We left central Florida on Friday morning and arrived in New Orleans on
Saturday morning to begin the first ever Pre Evacuation of people with pets
and pets from shelters so they would not be euthanized or perish in the
storm if flooding occurred.
Our driver, Daniel Hickey, from Prosthetics Research Specialists, Inc.,
picked up 218 cats and dogs from Jefferson Parish and left for Panama City
Florida on Saturday. What normally would have been a 6 hour trip turned into
16 hours on the road. They delivered the entire transport and sought the
first hotel they could find to get some much needed rest.
A third transport was en route to respond also and picked up animals that
were transported to Shreveport to a well organized mega shelter.
Myself, plus our animal handler and HSUS employees spent Saturday night in
the city waiting until the next day to load up 120 cats from Animal Rescue
of New Orleans and then we were asked to go to the SuperDome and pick up the
animals that belonged to the first responders. There was about 50. It
included mainly dogs, one cat, one rabbit, one snake and a Macaw in a cage.
After delivering the 120 cats to Folsom Louisiana, we left for Baton Rouge
to deliver the others the University animal arena that was to be the
shelter. We blew a trailer tire ½ way in between and don’t you know that
there are no tire companies that wanted to come out on a Sunday night in a
hurricane and change it so I personally had to change my own trailer tire.
Of course the tools were on the other truck so I had to beg and borrow tools
from local folks to get it changed. We finally arrived in Baton Rouge,
unloaded and then drove to Shreveport. I caught 4 hours rest and decided to
try to run East to Jackson Mississippi and then work south to Florida. Don’t
you know that I got caught in the feeder bands and had the ride of my life
taking 4 hours to drive 84 miles. Maybe I should have driven home via
Boston.
For all of you animal lovers, our three trucks saved over 600 total animals
before the storm ever struck. We are asking for donations to help recoup
some of our expenses. We covered over $4000.00 in food, fuel, and lodging
for 5 days. We are also a 501(c)3 not for profit so your donations are tax
deductible. If anyone can, please send a donation to:
Sumter DART, Inc.
720 East Southland Ave
Bushnell, Fl 33513
I thank you in advance and hope we can help in the face of the next storm
also.
Ronnie N. Graves BOCPO, CO, LPO, RTP
Prosthetics Research Specialists, Inc.
720 East Southland Ave
Bushnell, Fl 33513
352-793-4477 Work
352-603-4249 Cell
352-793-1448 Fax
<Email Address Redacted>
action prior to Hurricane Gustav hitting the Louisiana coast. We received a
call from the director of Emergency Services of the Humane Society of the
United States, a not for profit group. We supplied our transport rig, two
animal handlers and a driver to respond in their transport rig. You can see
these rigs at www.sumterdart.org
We left central Florida on Friday morning and arrived in New Orleans on
Saturday morning to begin the first ever Pre Evacuation of people with pets
and pets from shelters so they would not be euthanized or perish in the
storm if flooding occurred.
Our driver, Daniel Hickey, from Prosthetics Research Specialists, Inc.,
picked up 218 cats and dogs from Jefferson Parish and left for Panama City
Florida on Saturday. What normally would have been a 6 hour trip turned into
16 hours on the road. They delivered the entire transport and sought the
first hotel they could find to get some much needed rest.
A third transport was en route to respond also and picked up animals that
were transported to Shreveport to a well organized mega shelter.
Myself, plus our animal handler and HSUS employees spent Saturday night in
the city waiting until the next day to load up 120 cats from Animal Rescue
of New Orleans and then we were asked to go to the SuperDome and pick up the
animals that belonged to the first responders. There was about 50. It
included mainly dogs, one cat, one rabbit, one snake and a Macaw in a cage.
After delivering the 120 cats to Folsom Louisiana, we left for Baton Rouge
to deliver the others the University animal arena that was to be the
shelter. We blew a trailer tire ½ way in between and don’t you know that
there are no tire companies that wanted to come out on a Sunday night in a
hurricane and change it so I personally had to change my own trailer tire.
Of course the tools were on the other truck so I had to beg and borrow tools
from local folks to get it changed. We finally arrived in Baton Rouge,
unloaded and then drove to Shreveport. I caught 4 hours rest and decided to
try to run East to Jackson Mississippi and then work south to Florida. Don’t
you know that I got caught in the feeder bands and had the ride of my life
taking 4 hours to drive 84 miles. Maybe I should have driven home via
Boston.
For all of you animal lovers, our three trucks saved over 600 total animals
before the storm ever struck. We are asking for donations to help recoup
some of our expenses. We covered over $4000.00 in food, fuel, and lodging
for 5 days. We are also a 501(c)3 not for profit so your donations are tax
deductible. If anyone can, please send a donation to:
Sumter DART, Inc.
720 East Southland Ave
Bushnell, Fl 33513
I thank you in advance and hope we can help in the face of the next storm
also.
Ronnie N. Graves BOCPO, CO, LPO, RTP
Prosthetics Research Specialists, Inc.
720 East Southland Ave
Bushnell, Fl 33513
352-793-4477 Work
352-603-4249 Cell
352-793-1448 Fax
<Email Address Redacted>
Citation
Ronnie Graves, “Hurricane Gustav,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 23, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/229491.
