How To Help Pets in Hurricane Michael
Foster, Volunteer, Donate or Adopt from you local animal shelter
The biggest things animal shelters need in the face of a hurricane is room to house new dogs and cats coming in that are displaced in the storm. The best way for that to happen is for people to adopt the pets already in the shelters or foster them to make more room in the shelter. Eventually they may need donations and supplies as well but having room to house pets in need is the first priority so fostering is vital.
Call or visit your local animal shelter if you live in Florida or the surrounding states and offer to volunteer, make a donation or foster or adopt a pet as soon as you can to help out. Hurricane Michael hit so fast there was little time for preparation and not much news about animal shelters is up yet. In other hurricanes pets are transported many states away to find room in shelters. That will surely be the case with Hurricane Michael. Don’t think you have to live in Florida to help!
Florida Urgent Rescue in Jacksonville
Florida Urgent Rescue in Jacksonville Florida is traveling to take pets from shelters in affected areas of the state and needs fosters or adopters! Here is their website: https://www.floridaurgentrescue.com
They did the same thing just recently during Hurricane Florence.
Justin Bartlett Animal Rescue in Royal Palm Beach
Local animal shelters throughout the region will need assistance from volunteers and especially need people willing to foster pets. Justin Bartlett Animal Rescue in Royal Palm Beach needs fosters for 50 cats and 132 dogs right now. Here is the link: https://www.justinbartlettanimalrescue.org/animals/list?Species=Dog. As with many shelters, the CEO of Justin Bartlett, Peter Torres is ready to stay at the shelter through the storm and do whatever he can to keep the animals safe. https://cbs12.com/news/local/local-animal-shelter-prepares-for-hurricane-michael
The Humane Society Animal Rescue Team
The Human Society Animal Rescue Team rescued over 1,000 animals from Hurricane Florence and is ready to do the same for Hurricane Michael. They rescue not just cats and dogs but all sorts of animals including horses and more. If you would like to donate to the Emergency Animal Rescue Fund here is the link: https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Donation2?df_id=24266&24266.donation=form1&s_src=blog_post_101018_id10065
Hurricane Pets Rescue Inc. in Miami Beach
Hurricane Pets Rescue Inc. is a nonprofit rescue group started after Hurricane Katrina. They rescue pets from all types of disasters including hurricanes and travel to wherever they are needed. If you live nearby and can volunteer to be a foster parent to a pet during Hurricane Michael, please fill out the application here. http://hurricanepetsrescue.org/volunteer/disaster-relief-foster-parent-application/ You can also donate and become an “HPR Gaurdian Angle”. This nonprofit only runs through donations.
Panhandle Animal Welfare Society in Fort Walton Beach
In the hardest hit areas animal shelters get requests to keep pets by people who are evacuating. Shelters like the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society in Fort Walton Beach tell owners they have no room since they need to care for the pets they already have in the shelter and be ready for more after the storm. If someone leaves a pet at the shelter they sign away all rights. The pet could be adopted or put down if there is no room. If you are near Fort Walton Beach and can help out they will have many pets in need of fostering or adoption after the storm.
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in VA and NC
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue has facilities in North Carolina and Virginia. I have written about them before, most recently during Hurricane Florence when their Rapid Response Team was out rescuing pets. They do a great job of going where needed to help during disasters. If you want to donate to the Rapid Response efforts click here. If you want to volunteer, adopt or foster in North Carolina or Virginia check out the other options on their website.
Red Rover, national volunteers
Red Rover is an animal rescue organization with over 4,000 volunteers that helps pets displaced by violence or natural disasters find shelter. Red Rover Responders are ready to provide emergency shelter for pets affected by Hurricane Michael. Red Rover Relief provides assistance to pet owners in need such as emergency grants to help pay veterinary bills. If you would like to volunteer with Red Rover Responders or donate to Red Rover Relief here is their website: https://redrover.org/
If You Are in The Affected Area With Pets
Red Rover offers a webpage with resources for residents in the affected areas with lists of pet friendly lodging, emergency shelters that accept pets listed by county and other important resources here. https://redrover.org/news/hurricanemichael/
Products to Help Scared Pets
If you foster or adopt a pet and want to know how to help them with anxiety which can cause an array of behavior problems I may be able to help. Check out my posts on products for anxiety in cats which can cause aggression, peeing outside the box, skittishness and other problems. I also have posts on topics such as a great natural calming aid for travel and vet visits as well as many other health and behavior issues.
I hope you can help the pets affected by Hurricane Michael. You don’t have to live in Florida. Pets are transported across the country during disasters so no matter where you live you can adopt or foster to free up space at your local animal shelter or donate to these and so many other great organizations.
Jessica
https://thrivingcat.com
Hi, Jessica. Your post is a great and timely resource for people with pets. Hurricane Michael has already landed, and there are probably a lot of people looking for a resource like your post. Fortunately for me, I live way inland, in Colorado, but there are other natural disasters besides hurricanes. Earthquakes, thunderstorms, fires, and more could put anyone in an emergency situation, and knowing what to do with your pet is almost as important as knowing what to do with your kids. For some their pets are their kids. Well done.
Hello Grant,
Yes, there are always disasters and whether it is a fire or a flood, rescue groups are out there trying to help pets. Shelters are often overflowing even when there isn’t a disaster so it is good for people to know they really can help out regardless of where they live.
Thank you,
Jessica
WOW Jessica!
You are really on top of this fast-moving storm and ready with resource links to assist shelters and obtain possible foster homes for pets. I so appreciate your listing these resources and will pass the information along to my veterinarian and animal welfare friends to enlist their assistance as well. It’s also helpful that you have additional reference posts on dealing with anxiety in pets that are displaced and I plan to read them ASAP and share them as well.
Thank you for your concerted effort to help the owners and pets that are being affected by this storm. Do you have any further resource listings for further west on the Gulf Coast that may also be helpful?
Thank you!
I have always been concerned about pets when mother nature attacks. I remember that when hurricane Sandy hit Long Island (NY) back in 2012, my family and I lived at my father’s auto repair shop with my three puppies and my cat for 3 days. We could have never let them by themselves at home because they were part of the family. I always hope that all pet owners are conscious about their pets and are not heartless when it comes to protecting them from a hurricane.
My oldest puppy, Preciosa, used to be scared of lighting and thunderstorms; she passed away last year. I miss her so much!
Hello Victor,
I am sorry you lost your Preciosa girl. I have had many dogs and cats and know how you feel. If I lived anywhere close to this current hurricane I would be volunteering or fostering pets to help out. I am thousands of miles away in Alaska however so this is something I can do from afar.
If everyone helped just a little there would be far fewer homeless pets and I want people to know what they can do to help.
Thank you for your concern,
Jessica
What a great post you have here! We obviously all think about the people being displaced by hurricanes such as Florence and Michael but we don’t always think about all of the pets that are displaced as well. Sadly, many people have to flee their homes and are unable to take their pet with them. Many are left in the home to fend for themselves during the storm. For this reason so many pets become displaced and homeless and the organizations you listed jump into action to help these animals. Thank you so much for gathering this list together so people know where to go and who to call if they want to help out.
Thank you Lynne,
It breaks my heart when pets are left behind or lost in such a disaster. They don’t deserve that. If everyone helped just a little we could save most pets that end up in shelters.
Jessica
Hi Jessica!
I’m new to WA and accidentally entered my review and comments directly onto your website. But I will thank you again for providing such a compassionate and thorough assessment of the impending hurricane and its effect on both owners and pets. Your listing of available fostering resources for all animals seems quite comprehensive and I will pass the information along to my veterinarian and animal welfare friends for distribution.
Do you have any additional information regarding resources further west of Florida that may be helpful as well!
Thank you for caring!
Hello Sharon,
Thank you for passing this along. I don’t have any more resources at the moment, but I will continue to update the post if I find more. Basically any shelter in the region could probably use help at this point since it is such a devastating storm.
Thank you so much for your interest in helping these pets!
Jessica
I’m in North Carolina and we were hit by Michael today. There were a lot of trees and power lines down, quite a few people without electricity, and now they are saying it could be a few days if not longer before power is restored in some areas. Do you have any tips on keeping pets calm and happy even though a long-term power outage obviously means different patterns within the household? We were lucky not to lose power, but I know many friends are in not-so-lucky areas, and their pets are starting to feel the stress.
Hello Theresa,
I am glad you are through the storm and doing ok. I would make sure they have cozy, den like places to sleep where they can semi-hibernate if they want to (dark, warm, safe feeling) and make sure to play with them if you can to burn off some energy. The links at the bottom on my post here are to my reviews of calming products I use. I would recommend those highly if you can get them but I know mail delivery will likely be disrupted!
Thank you for stopping by and I hope all goes well for you, your pets and neighbors.
Jessica
Hey Jessica,
I had no idea of Justin Bartlett and his Animal Rescue and I love hearing of spots like these that are nonprofit and so helpful. I love how you say you don’t have to be in FL to help. We can all help out by adopting from a local shelter or even donating any little bit we can. I’m so glad to hear about the little guys, the local businesses. I’m definitely gonna share this one.
-JB
Hello JB, I agree. It is so nice to hear about the small shelters and non-profits that are out there helping pets in every disaster and doing it for the right reasons. They don’t get rich or famous, they just want to help these poor animals that need it.
There is so much more we as a country can do to help pets in need and I hope people will read this and see there are many ways to help.
Thank you for sharing this! I really appreciate it!
Jessica
Hey Jessica!
Thanks for the informative and very relevant post given what just happened. Hurricane Michael did strike quickly and many people did not feel prepared.
I don’t personally own pets or actively go to animal shelters so I never thought about what happens to pets during times of need like this. I had no idea people try to drop off their pets at shelters while preparing for a storm and they sign away all their rights! I would think that would never be a good idea because they are filled up anyway but especially during a storm.
Thank you for listing the different shelters and services in different areas. What a shame that animals get put down because they no room to board them but especially during a tragedy of what a hurricane could bring. If I had a house and knew how to take care of pets better, I would certainly adopt.
I didn’t know such organizations like Red Rover existed to help pet owners rescue their animals after disasters. I would never imagine that organizations would help pay vet bills as well. I’m sure that’s very reassuring to them!
Thank you for sharing.
—Francesco
Hello Francesco,
I did not know about Red Rover before either. They sound like a great organization. There are many pets that suffer in these disasters and it would be easy to help them if more people chipped in. I hope people will read this and see there are many ways to help! Hopefully someday you can adopt a pet too!
Thank you for your thoughts here and for stopping by,
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
how timely your article is. With the hurricane season on, there are so many things to think about. I do not live in a place where we are directly affected by hurricanes, neither do I have pets, but what you say is exactly the right thing: Pet shelters need lots of helping hands and space for all the displaced animals.
Thanks for sharing a list of websites to visit which can help all the pet lovers go out and adopt animals of provide help for these shelters.
Oscar
Thank you Oscar,
Yes, the shelters really do need help and most anyone can help if they are willing to volunteer, donate, foster or adopt a pet in need.
Jessica
I hate seeing and hearing about the devastation that hurricane Michael did to the Florida Panhandle. It’s always sad the amount of pets that are missing or lost when natural disasters like this happen. I know some people who live in Florida so the list of places that can be contacted for help with lost pets will be great as I know they would love to help out. I will share this article to them. Thanks for sharing this article.
Thank you Brian,
I just added another link to a page that lists resources for pet owners in the affected areas by county.
I appreciate your thoughts and you passing this on. I hope your friends in those areas are safe.
Jessica
How do we find out where the 4 Hurricane Michael rescued kittens that are all over the news are located? I would love to send a donation for them and even adopt one but I live in NH wouldn’t even know how I would get him.
Hello Tracey,
The kittens went to the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society, or PAWS in Fort Walton Beach FL. You can contact them to ask about the kittens.
If you are interested in adopting a cat, adopting one from your local shelter will always help too!
Thank you!
Jessica
For obvious reasons – you always hear about the people injured or lost in a hurricane but you don’t ever really think about the pets that get left behind – really interesting and valuable article.
Do you feel that a lot of these pets are simply lost due to the destruction or are they in need of new owners? Don’t owners take their pets with them when they evacuate?
Hello Chris,
Since I don’t live in a part of the country with hurricanes and have never been through a hurricane there, I don’t know exactly where all the pets in need are coming from. I just know in every hurricane there are countless dogs, cats and other pets that end up stranded in flooded homes, lost on the streets and overflowing animal shelters. Some escape in the storms, some are left behind and as you suggest, really need new owners! Sadly there are many pets in this country that are not treated as well as they should be. With a dangerous storm, destruction and confusion, there are even more pets in need.
If everyone was willing to help just a tiny bit, we would not have this problem and lost and abandoned pets would all have good homes.
Thank you for stopping by and caring about these pets.
Jessica
Wow! This is just amazing. In these type of bizarre situations like Tsunami, Hurricane and stuff people really tend to save their lives first and they don’t have much time to think of other things. And it will be really complicated for them to think of a way to save their Pets. This article is amazing that it takes the burden of their head. It is not just an useful article for Hurricane Michael it can also be used in various situations. Really appreciate your time in this.
Thank you very much. I try to write a post like this for each Hurricane and just did one for Hurricane Florence. The same concepts apply to any natural disaster. Pets fill up shelters and if people can adopt or foster those pets it really helps. If anyone can donate to the shelters they can help from any location as well.
Thank you for stopping by,
Jessica
My heart goes out to all the people affected by these terrible storms and especially all the helpless animals that survive and get stranded. I can only imagine all the supplies and volunteer work that goes into these rescue missions. I appreciate all the suggestions and thanks for the reminder to donate and for getting me to even think about adoption even though I’m not in the affected area.
Hello Lev,
There is a way for anyone to help, no matter where they are located. I hear after every storm now that there are pets transported across the country by volunteers, and need new homes. No matter where we are located there are pets that need homes and could be adopted from local shelters.
Thank you for stopping by,
Jessica
Hi there,
i just read your article about HOW TO HELP PETS IN HURRICANE MICHAEL which is a great article. The things you mention are really helpful. Like men need shelter likewise the the animals also need to be protected. There are many rescue teams available for the animal i just came to know my your article
Thanks
Yes, there are many volunteers doing great work to help pets all across the country. If more people realized they can help by fostering or adopting pets it would help make room in shelters for those pets being found and rescued.
Thank you,
Jessica
This was a very informative article how help pets Hurricane Michael
I appreciate all the information that you are sharing so that people in the different communities can offer help.
I know the effects of hurricanes from first-hand experience can be very destructive because of Hurricane Catrina everything is in a disarray and out of place all the animals or just so helpless.
Donations help animal shelters out a lot so if you can donate please help I really love this article it’s going to help out a lot of pets.
Hello Quinn,
Yes, if everyone can help just a little we could save all the pets that end up in shelters. People don’t realize there is a need to foster pets even if they can’t adopt.
Thanks,
Jessica
Jessica you have done a sterling job of providing a solution in time of crisis for many pet owners in the US during the storm of Hurricane Michael.
This is a great way of taking the initiative to provide effective solutions for those who are traumatized and not knowing which way to turn because of the devastation.
Your post is quite thorough providing contact numbers and websites to google to find the best place to take pets to or to provide a shelter. This is an amazing opportunity to reach out to those in need and I believe many will benefit from your generosity in taking the initiative.
Thank you for your foresight and willingness to help those in need. Much appreciated!
Edu
Thank you Edu. If I lived closer I would volunteer at the shelters but I hope I can help here even from thousands of miles away. If we all help a little we could save all the pets that end up in shelters.
Thank you for your concern,
Jessica