RANCHO SANTA FE – Hurricane Helene’s path of devastation across the East Coast may have subsided for now, but for hundreds-of-thousands of lives affected in Western North Carolina, including pets, the recovery effort is only just beginning.
The deadly storm, labeled as one of the deadliest hurricanes to strike the U.S. mainland in the last 50 years, washed away bridges, roads, homes and even entire small towns, leading to a loss of human lives estimated to be in the hundreds and growing.
Rescue Ranch, located in Statesville, North Carolina, is a non-profit animal welfare organization that has become a hub for rescue groups working to assist thousands of animals in critical danger. In response, Helen Woodward Animal Center is donating $50,000 to help with Rescue Ranch’s efforts alongside 15 additional animal welfare organizations that are working together to save lives.
Rescue Ranch was co-founded by Krissie Newman and a board of dedicated animal advocates. Their mission focuses on promoting, through education, respect for all animals, as well as agricultural, environmental and wildlife conservation while facilitating rehabilitation, rescue and responsible pet ownership in order to enhance the human-animal bond.
The ranch’s 87-acre sanctuary provides permanent residency for more than 80 rescued animals. Additionally, Newman has become synonymous with her efforts to support the community in her unrelenting quest to improve the lives of animals.
“Rescue Ranch is a very special group to us,” explained Helen Woodward Animal Center President and CEO Mike Arms. “I met Krissie Newman years ago when she reached out to ask for some assistance creating a Humane Education program similar to the one utilized here at our Center. We’ve been close friends ever since, and our organizations share a cohesive mission. When she reached out for help after Hurricane Helene, the only answer I could give was, ‘Tell me what you need.’”
The $50,000 will provide additional supplies, medical care, food and transport costs. Additionally, Helen Woodward Animal Center is standing by to send staff to assist on the ground should the need for more volunteers increase.
After the Animal Search and Rescue (ASAR) Team arrived on Sept. 28, just days after Hurricane Helene hit, the team and other groups began rescuing horses trapped by debris and high water, and providing much needed resources like food and water.
ASAR is also assisting Red Dog Farms and Piedmont Animal Rescue, who are housing most of the shelter animals from the impacted areas, in order to make room for strays or lost pets, in hopes they are found by their owners. As of today, more than 200 animals have been airlifted out of the area by the Bissell Pet Foundation and their partner rescues to make room for those lost or found stray after the storm.
“The devastation is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before,” said Rescue Ranch Executive Director Michelle Hepler. “The loss of human lives and homes means that there are abandoned animals everywhere. Hundreds of them. There is so much work to be done, but we have been joined by such incredible groups and working together, we’re trying to make some headway.”
Rescue Ranch has collaborated with a network of animal rescues, humane shelters and even local businesses to start a donation drive to support the ASAR team’s response. The team is working directly with ASAR and ASPCA to get donations of pet food, water, livestock grain, fencing supplies and hay to all of the affected counties throughout the impacted region, making deliveries of supplies to Madison, Yancy, Avery, McDowell, Buncombe and Ashe Counties in North Carolina and Grayson County, Virginia.
The organization is sending out more than 100,000 pounds of animal feed and water, and more than 250 bales of hay, all of which has been donated to the cause.
“It is truly amazing how everyone has come together to support our community,” Newman said. “The devastation from Hurricane Helene is heartbreaking, and it will take a very long time for these communities to rebuild. Rescue Ranch is committed to continuing our support and increasing our capacity to be a resource to those in need. Having amazing partners like Helen Woodward Animal Center is such a blessing and will allow us to continue to assist in the rebuild and provide long term support for our shelter community.”
To donate to Rescue Ranch and the Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts, visit https://rescueranch.networkforgood.com/projects/235466-helene-disaster-western-nc-animal-rescue-support.