Hurricane Laura damaged homes and properties in Orange County back in August. The Animal Control Shelter for the City of Orange was among the buildings damaged by the hurricane.
Animal Control Officer Andy Borel recalled the impact of the storm on the shelter. The wind ripped the roof off the office and the area where cats were kept. At least one of the kennels for holding dogs was also damaged.
The shelter had 15 dogs at the time of the storm. Many of the local humane societies responded immediately. Borel indicated, “We had a lot of help from some of the local rescues and humane societies to help us place those dogs in new homes and help us get them out of our damaged shelter.”
Other animal shelters in Orange County were not the only ones to reach out to help Borel and his staff find homes for their animals after Laura. The Houston Humane Society coordinating with the Humane Society of Beaumont stepped up with two buses to transport all the dogs to their shelters. “They helped those dogs of course find better homes that we couldn’t help with right at that time,” Borel added.
Adoptions are still being done at the Animal Shelter in Orange. A secondary problem for the shelter connected to the Coronavirus pandemic is getting the animals spade and neutered in a timely manner. It is taking close to two months to get the necessary surgery done.
Fortunately, publicity of the disaster following the hurricane has spurred animal shelters around the nation to reach out to Borel and the shelter in Orange. Inquiries from New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Washington have come to Borel concerned with adopting animals from here.
Animal rescue organizations in northern states have helped relocate several dogs there. “They’re arranging the transports and getting them moved up north and they send our paperwork back showing that they’re taken care of,” Borel commented.
The City of Orange Animal Shelter is located on Simmons Drive near the city’s Boat Ramp. Their offices are currently in a trailer in front of the building containing the kennels for the dogs.
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