COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KDVR) — Volunteers with the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region headed to Tennessee this week to help set up a temporary shelter for pets impacted by the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
“Animals do need a safe place to go,” Samantha Kirby, the lead for the organization’s Community Animal Response Team, said.
The CART team is an associate of the ASPCA, and they were one of the groups asked to help out. Kirby said some of the volunteers even took work off to do so.
“Were all in it together. We want to help the animals, help the community rebuild and recover from this stuff,” Kirby said.
Kirby and her team of volunteers are stationed about 10 hours away from some of the areas hardest-hit by the strong storm and are on standby for when animals are able to get out of the area.
“They are struggling with power loss and things like that. Everything is going to take longer,” Kirby said.
She said as of Friday evening, they haven’t had any animals transported to their temporary shelter, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Depending on how many animals are transferred, some could end up looking for forever homes in Colorado.
“They know how much it means to someone who has just been through something as traumatic as a disaster,” Kirby said.
HSPPR is always looking for volunteers to train and deploy to other natural disasters in the future.