In a matter of hours, Hurricane Ivan did a number to the animal kingdom along the Gulf Coast: Those pets left behind by their owners likely became instantly homeless, while animals held captive in zoos instantly returned to their wild state. Either way, the conditions were traumatic to the people who care for these creatures, not to mention to those who would like to help all of Ivan's victims, whether human or nonhuman.
Case in point: Six alligators who were not evacuated from the Alabama Gulf Shores Zoo suddenly found themselves free to swim in the floodwaters that practically swallowed this island that sits in the Gulf of Mexico. Great for the gators perhaps, but not for rescue workers who were not about to enter Gulf Shores while the 1,000-pound "Chuckie" and his alligator pals were patrolling the area. "We cannot send people in to assess more of the damages until we find the big boy," a zoo worker reportedly told CNN on Friday, September 17.
Stray gators aside, Ivan's impact on animals still wasn't clear by Saturday. What was clearer was the hurricane's devastation and its death toll: More than 1.5 million people in nine states were without power along the Gulf Coast; damage estimates ranged wildly from $2 billion to $10 billion; and the death toll stood at 25 and rising in the United States alone (with at least 60 more in the Caribbean).
HSUS staffers were already on the ground in Florida to begin assessing Ivan the Terrible's impact on shelters, animal control operations, wildlife centers, residential areas and farms. And members of our National Disaster Animal Response Team were headed to Mississippi and Alabama to launch assessments there. The teams will be paying close attention to Baldwin and Mobile counties in Alabama, which took direct hits from Ivan; as of Friday, we could not even reach officials in Baldwin to get an initial assessment of damages to shelters and homes.
In Florida, the state has once again asked The HSUS to coordinate animal sheltering, animal rescues and the distribution of animal supplies—just as we did after Charley and Frances earlier in the hurricane season. We are also working right now to help secure temporary staff for county animal facilities that are overtaxed at the moment; for example, a wildlife expert from our National DART team is headed to Santa Rosa County to check on wildlife rehabilitation centers in the area.
It may turn out that we also need to find a marine mammal expert for Okaloosa County; early reports indicate that a marine park in the county was completely wiped out, but animal experts cannot confirm this yet because the roads in the area are still under water.
More ominously, we have not been able to make contact with animal officials in Bay County, which was the hardest hit of all counties in Florida. Several people were killed there when Ivan spun off twisters that devastated the area.
"We are setting up a command post in DeFuniak Springs, near the impact area in Florida, and we are aggressively assessing animal needs in the state," said Anne Culver, director of HSUS Disaster Services. "As needs are determined, we will create the spaces or find the personnel to meet those needs. We unfortunately have had a lot of experience this year in dealing with animals and hurricanes."
Keep returning to hsus.org for more updates on Hurricane Ivan's impact on animals and people. You can also read about the disaster-response work we've already done in Florida, following both Charley and Frances, by clicking on the links below.
If you would like to contribute to our disaster relief efforts in the Gulf Coast, as well as to future disaster efforts, please click here.
