Before we post more about our recreational pursuits, we would like to extend our sympathy and prayers to everyone recently affected by the terrible weather across the country.
We were lucky that none of our employees were seriously impacted by the tornadoes or flooding here in the South. We had a few days without power, but otherwise we got away relatively unscathed. Only a few miles away, the damage was tremendous.
A couple of us were able to pitch in and help with volunteer efforts around our area. I met with my sister, who drove down from Tennessee, and a huge group of volunteers from her church. We arrived in Cullman, Alabama on Saturday morning and were overwhelmed by the devastation.
One of the sites we visited was a large country home that had been so badly damaged that it had to be demolished. We helped cut trees out of the way so that machinery could be moved into place to demo the house. It was sad to see all of the family’s belongings moved to bins behind what was left of their home.
During the day we made new friends and did our best to improve the situation. I would like to share this letter from my sister, who took it upon herself to organize an impromptu relief effort and asked clients of her vet clinic to help out:
Dear friends, family, staff, clients, and colleagues,
I wanted to say THANK YOU for the generous support you provided for the tornado victims.
I was OVERWHELMED by the response. In less than 72 hrs we had received a total of $680 in gift cards/donations and not only filled my truck with nearly 1000 pounds of ANIMAL food and medical supplies but also was able to fill an entire mini van (seats removed) as well as a full sized 4 door pick up with a camper shell with food/supplies for the people of Cullman.
The animal shelter had been evacuated of the pets due to damage from the storm causing too many issues. The volunteers had moved all the pets in crates/cages to a shaded area in a local park. There were tents to cover some but not all of the animals. They hope to be able to return to the shelter this next week. I tended to those animals with injuries as well as simply do exams on the others to make sure they were as healthy as possible under the situation. Many if not all were NOT spayed/neutered and most had intestinal parasites as well as fleas/ticks. With the generous donations from the vets and sales reps we were able to properly treat these issues as well as leave the shelter with LOTS of vaccines and supplies once the shelter reopens. You can read about the shelter situation at: http://www.cullmantimes.com/local/x1892929953/Displaced-companions
Following my time with the animals I then was dispatched to help with folks in the county that lost their homes. I, along with many others, helped to cut limbs and trees that had fallen on homes or on property. I was blessed to be joined with my brother from Decatur (who had lost his power for several days from the storm), another local veterinarian, as well as from clients from the clinic who donated their time in helping remove the debris.
Although only present for a day I do hope that the donations and assistance was of value to those we helped.
Again I am overwhelmed by the generosity displayed by all of you! TN is truly the “volunteer state.” I hope to have pics on the Animal Ark FB page soon so be on the lookout.
God bless all of you! You truly are amazing people!
Sincerely,
Paula
As her letter shows, there are many ways you can help out, even if you aren’t close enough to the storm-damaged areas to donate your labor. There are numerous relief organizations that are still working hard to support victims. Click here to donate to the Salvation Army or here to donate to the Red Cross, two of the best-known organizations working in Alabama right now.
