Friday Night Soother

Created
Sat, 05/10/2024 - 10:00
Updated
Sat, 05/10/2024 - 10:00
It’s not soothing but it is necessary: This shelter saved 100 animals: A race to evacuate over 100 animals from Asheville, North Carolina’s main animal shelter ahead of Hurricane Helene’s torrential rains and devastating flooding likely saved all of their lives. But now comes the struggle to find more permanent housing, as the shelter would later become destroyed in the historic flood. “It’s been a really, really hard week for everyone,” said Leah Craig Chumbley of Brother Wolf Animal Rescue. “We’re working around the clock.” The shelter cares for mostly dogs and cats, but also such pets as rabbits and guinea pigs. “We know that when the river rises, we get some water in our building. And we really thought worst-case scenario, 6 to 12 inches,” she said.  But this storm was going way beyond those levels.  “So we knew that we needed to get our animals out,” she said. “The day before this storm, we sent out a social plea and email to our supporters, our fosters, our volunteers and said, you know, can you help us?” And the community rallied to save the animals. “We got 100 animals out of that building in two hours (and) we already had 50 animals in foster care,” she said. “So, since the storm hit, you know, we woke up, I actually went to the shelter the very next day. And you still just didn’t know what to expect because we were cut off from the rest of the world immediately. And, you know, you’re seeing water…