Even though more than 150,000 people were ordered to evacuate the coastal regions of North Carolina and Virginia as Hurricane Isabel approached land, there was no guarantee that everyone heeded the warning. And even if folks did flee in advance of the Category 2 storm, there was no guarantee that they actually took their pets with them.

Fortunately, The Humane Society of the United States is prepared for such scenarios. In response to a request by the North Carolina State Animal Response Team (NCSART), an inter-agency effort to assist the state's animals during emergencies, The HSUS has sent Disaster Animal Response Teams (DART) to Raleigh, just west of where Isabel's 100-mph winds were already battering coastal communities and causing power outages. The three teams will deploy east into other regions as needed—and as soon as the weather conditions permit.

Other HSUS DART teams have been deployed to Maryland, ready to move wherever they are needed, maybe even joining the other DART teams in North Carolina if necessary. The HSUS has been asked by emergency managers and animal care and control authorities in Virginia, Maryland, and other states to help with the disaster response.

"We'll set up operations wherever the need is greatest," says Melissa Seide Rubin, HSUS Vice President of Field Services. "We'll be able to deploy and set up shop within hours after the storm has passed. We'll immediately send teams into the field to search for abandoned and injured animals, and shelter them temporarily, if necessary, until we can find their owner."

The HSUS has not only the personnel ready, but also the equipment. We have called in the Code 3 truck—a massive mobile command vehicle that includes a veterinary suite, rescue equipment and sleeping quarters—as well as a truck-full of equipment to build a temporary animal shelter wherever it might be needed. The equipment list is long. It includes crates, leashes, collars, panels, dry suits, pet food, first-aid supplies, and life vests.

The preparation is only too necessary. Hurricane Isabel is the largest storm to hit the Carolina region since Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Despite losing steam in the cool waters of the Atlantic—the hurricane was downgraded from a Category 5, the deadliest, to a Category 2 storm earlier this week—Isabel is still packing a punch. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday morning, September 18, Isabel's "sustained winds are near 100 mph with higher gusts&Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 115 miles from the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 345 miles."

As of Thursday afternoon, NOAA's statistical data listed Morehead, N.C. as the city mostly likely to suffer the brunt of Isabel's fury. The agency expects storm surges seven to 11 feet above normal tide levels, and rainfall amounts between six and ten inches along the path of the Category 2 'cane.

Isabel is considered a "strong" Category 2 storm. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale depicts a Category 2 storm this way: It can cause "some" damage to roofs, doors, and windows. It can cause "considerable" damage to shrubbery and trees, "with some trees blown down." It can cause "considerable" damage to mobile homes, poorly constructed signs, and piers.

"Don't be fooled by the downgrade in category," says Anne Culver, HSUS Director of Disaster Services. "Some of the worst damage and loss of life has come from inland and coastal flooding associated with Category 2 hurricanes, or even lesser hurricanes."

The governors of North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland have already declared states of emergency in advance of Isabel's landfall. The declarations allow each state to mobilize workers and deploy the National Guard to protect areas affected by the storm.

The HSUS has a long history of assisting state agencies when disasters strike. Just in the past year and a half, The HSUS's Disaster Animal Response Teams have responded to several emergencies, including the wildfires that raged across Arizona and the tornadoes that ravaged the Midwest. In each case, dozens and dozens of animals were rescued, treated, and sheltered until they could be safely returned to their owners.

"We have one of the most experienced and professional search-and-response teams in the country," Seide Rubin notes. "That's why states look to us when the major disasters strike."

To support The HSUS's Disaster Animal Response Teams, and to provide relief during emergencies like Hurricane Isabel, please use our online donation form or call us directly at 1-888-259-5431 during regular business hours (Eastern time).