ASHEVILLE, N.C. — As states across the southeast U.S. are cleaning up following Hurricane Helene, the BISSELL Pet Foundation is helping relocate animals to ease the burden on animal shelters.
Kim Alboum, director of field operations for the BISSELL Pet Foundation, said crews have been working to empty shelters in the hardest-hit areas of North Carolina.
Animals who are up for adoption are being cleared to shelters in Winston-Salem and other areas to make room for any lost or stray pets found in the hurricane's aftermath.
While there are no immediate plans to bring any adoptable pets to Michigan, Alboum said it is likely that some pets will eventually be relocated to Michigan and other states.
Along with navigating severe storm damage, Alboum said the Asheville Humane Society is currently working to care for animals despite having no power or water. She said cell phone service is also spotty in the area, making it more difficult to reunite pets with their owners.
Photos from the efforts show employees loading supplies and pets in small planes. Alboum described the emotion she felt when she saw the effort from the Asheville Humane Society's employees.
"They have been caring for their families and the pets and with no power and no water," she said. "And it was, I mean, my heart just exploded getting off of the plane and seeing all of these people there, and I didn't want to leave them yesterday, it was very, especially, very hard to leave them."
BISSELL Pet Foundation helps animal shelters after Hurricane Helene
Nearly 100 cats and dogs have already been moved, with more planned moving forward.
"Every few days, we're going to be working with impacted pets in the community to try to move them out of of all the communities, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina," Alboum said. "And, you know, Florida is still just reeling with the impact of this, taking in tons of pets from areas that were flooded, and those pets need to be held in the shelter so their families can find them."
If you want to help, Alboum is encouraging you to adopt or foster an animal. This helps relieve the burden on animal shelters that are already over capacity. If you cannot adopt or foster, volunteering and donating also helps support the foundation. You can learn more here.
