ARLINGTON, Va. — As Hurricane Ida makes landfall Sunday thousands of people are being forced to evacuate, prompting an emergency hurricane rescue to get as many shelter pets out of the storm path.
Several shelters and rescue agencies in the D.C. region are answering the call to immediately take in what animals they can.
One of the first transports of dogs arrived Sunday with Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, which was able to find fosters to take in evacuated dogs from Mississippi shelters.
“We got the call at 2 a.m. and then we had to move and make everything happen within 36 hours for us to make it happen and that's what we do to make sure that we can get them out so that the shelter team can focus on protecting themselves, their homes, their pets, the shelter, and then we can do it all again when the shelf when the hurricanes over," Ashe Roberts with Lucky Dog Animal Rescue said.
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The dogs that arrived Sunday are the first of what Roberts anticipates being many to arrive in the days and weeks to come. She said she expects hundreds to come to a variety of different rescues.
Homeward Trails Animal Rescue is another rescue urgently working to take in dogs and cats in Hurricane Ida's path.
"We have been asked to step up NOW to take in animals immediately before the storm hits," Homeward Trails Animal Rescue posted to Facebook. "NOW is the time when we need urgent help. Fostering or adopting an animal NOW will save more than that one life. It will save dozens. Please donate, foster and adopt NOW. Lives depend on it."
The rescue is expected to receive its first transport of animals Monday morning.
“They’re saying that this could be much worse than we're expecting honestly devastating to the entire Gulf Coast and the shelters that are down there are already needing our help without a hurricane, and you know if those shelters get impacted some of those counties only have one shelter to help them," Roberts said. "So we are looking at a catastrophic event here for animals in need down there.”
You can learn more about fostering and adopting with Lucky Dog Animal Rescue here.
And see dogs available for adoption here.
You can learn more about fostering and adopting with Homeward Trails Animal Rescue here.