AKC Reunite Team Brings Hurricane Relief To Furry Victims

Lori Ennis
by Lori Ennis
The devastation from Hurricane Matthew has forever left its mark, and cleanup and rebuilding is underway. The AKC Reunite Team is helping lead efforts for pet disaster in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina.


After Hurricane Katrina battered the SouthEastern United States in 2005, federal laws were changed to ensure readiness plans existed and that resources were available for citizens and their pets when disaster struck. Many people needlessly died during Hurricane Katrina because they did not want to evacuate without leaving their pets, knowing that provisions for pets in such emergencies was scarce. As a result, local Emergency Management Services (EMS) are required to have readiness plans and resources so that both people and their fur family members can be helped.


The AKC Reunite Team only makes those services can readiness plans even better. The AKC Reunite Team is an affiliate of the American Kennel Club (AKC) and is North America’s largest non-profit pet ID and recovery service. Devastating natural disasters such as Hurricane Matthew often find pets as the unremembered victims, since human lives need to take priority and companion animals are were often left behind. The AKC Pet Disaster Relief now helps local EMS services by donating equipment designed to help people with pets in disastrous situations.


Related: New Disaster Procedures Include Decontaminating Guidelines For Dogs


Eastern North Carolina was hit hard by Hurricane Matthew, with many areas still flooded and people and pets unaccounted for. The AKC Reunite team visited hard-hit Cumberland County, NC, which is home to Fayetteville and Hope Mills, and deployed an AKC Pet Disaster Relief Trailer in Hope Mills. The trailers AKC Reunite donates have crates, a generator and other supplies to allow it as a stand-in shelter for pets during emergency situations. They’ve also donated the relief trailers to Polk County, Florida, Greenville, SC, and Pamlico County, NC.


They are also searching for crates to help safely and securely transport animals affected by the storm in Edgecombe County, and the AKC Reunite team is working diligently to deliver microchips and microchip recognition hardware to shelters in need.


Tom Sharp, President of AKC Reunite has said that the organization’s hearts are broken at the devastation left behind. The trailers that the AKC Reunite team donates are fully stocked with sheltering supplies emergency responders can and will need for pets, as well as offers planning assistance before, during and after a disaster strikes. The purpose of AKC Reunite is to donate time, money and energy to helping pets, and especially in times of natural crisis.


Related: Protect Your Pets During Natural Disasters with Help2Pet


The AKC clubs and AKC Reunite team are committed–already combining and donating over one million dollars (and 52 fully stocked relief trailers) to shelters across the country who have faced emergency situations. They continually visit disaster-struck areas and offer additional assistance as needed.


And, as Hurricane Matthew has left some of the most devastating weather aftermath the U.S. has seen in a while, every bit of help offered is needed and appreciated. If you’d like to be part of the rescue efforts as well, you can donate here, knowing that your money helps save a poor companion animal who truly depends on your kindness and generosity in the storm.

Lori Ennis
Lori Ennis

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