Santa Cruz SPCA

Remembering Katrina

by Jennifer Moulton
photos by Keely Carter-Gjelsteen

As the fifth anniversary of Hur ­ricanes Katrina and Rita draws near, a recollection of pain, loss, and despair resurge from the dormant corners of our memory; the place we store the moments of our lives we wish to forget.

The images of destruction in the af ­termath of the storms graced the cov ­ers of every national paper and news screen. Aerial depictions of people on rooftops waving for help, houses gutted and dismantled; a natural calamity on par with the ravages of war. Strangely, there was one population of victims seldom represented by the media: the animals. Few of us watch ­ing the coverage from afar realized just how urgent the crisis was for the pets of our southern neighbors. Families were forced to leave their beloved animals behind when evacuating, stray dogs and cats wandered the flooded landscape, and animal shelters were bursting at the seams.

At the St. Martin Humane Society in New Iberia, Louisiana, volunteer Marie Boussard learned that a previ ­ously scheduled rescue of hundreds of animals had fallen through. Without a miracle, all would be euthanized within days. So in a mass email, Marie begged for help getting the doomed animals out of the shelter before time sealed their fates.    

Lisa Carter, Executive Director of the Santa Cruz SPCA, was among the recip ­ients. She was determined to help, and wouldn't sleep until Marie's hope for a miracle was realized. After working day and night to gather supplies, recruit vol ­unteers, and procure funding (provided by the Doris Day Animal Foundation), "Operation Just Paws," as the airlift was named, made its way back to Califor ­nia with over 150 animals on board. A vacant municipal shelter on the SPCA's property had been turned into an oasis for the displaced animals. Each one was greeted with bowls of fresh food and water, a clean bed, and the reassuring voices of loving volunteers.

In the days following the arrival of the evacuees, the enormity of the situation began to set in. The SPCA's four-person staff was now tasked with caring for a group of sick, scared, and malnourished animals. The tiny shelter's numbers had grown seven-fold overnight. But with the help of local veterinarians, gener ­ous donations, and a dedicated group of volunteers, it was a success. A bond formed between the shelter's employ ­ees that would prove to be the energiz ­ing force behind every endeavor the non-profit has taken on since. With ­out such a commitment to the animals and each other, Operation Just Paws, the fifth largest airlift animal rescue in the nation, would never have come to fruition.

Through the chaos, the animals always remained our focus. Everything we did was for them, and it was worth every drop of sweat, every moment of exhaus ­tion. Over 150 animals scheduled to die are now living with their new families in homes across California. Our shelter was forever changed, the airlift being the catalyst for our new targeted ap ­proach to animal rescue. Today, we save an average of over 100 animals every month and arrange interstate and inter ­national rescues on a regular basis. Now, with the fifth anniversary of the tragedy drawing near, the hurricanes don't have to be defined by the memories we wish to forget, but a heartwarming story of 150 lives saved and 150 families made whole.

For more information or to make a donation:
santa cruz spca
2685 chanticleer ave.
santa cruz, ca 95065
(831) 465-5000
www.santacruzspca.org