LAKE CHARLES, La. — You may remember the many volunteers who poured into New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to help find and care for the many lost pets.
Now a group from the Northshore is doing the same for the many lost and injured horses and livestock after Hurricane Laura.
Alysia Maloney, of Equine Advocacy of Louisiana, is going back and forth from her home on the Northshore to the area ripped apart by Hurricane Laura.
“The destruction is incredible. I can't even put it into words seeing it firsthand it's heartbreaking,” said Maloney.
Scores of volunteers gathered up people's horses before the storm to move them to safe farms, but many were in the storm, and are now lost or injured from flying debris.
“A lot of what we're seeing is lacerations from tin from sheds roofs.”
Local veterinarians have lost their homes and medical supplies. Some horses are hard to get to and have not been reached in time.
“We brought that horse to LSU Equine and they made a heroic effort to save that mare. We had to make the very heartbreaking decision to have her humanely euthanized. She had a terrible infection from not having vet care for five days,” said Maloney.
Equine Advocacy of Louisiana, and other groups, continue to look for missing horses and bring vet supplies, feed, and temporary fencing to the area a few times a week.
“We have a lot of owners reaching out to us. I probably get 100 calls a day for not only horse supplies, but people supplies. So when we go down with an empty horse trailer, we're filing it, dog food, cat food, water, food for people, diapers.”
She says now they've added to the supply list, bug spray, because of the mosquito infestation.
“People are losing livestock. Cattle's dying because (there are) so many mosquitoes, they're inhaling them,” Maloney explained.
And she says your help is needed because right now families, along with their livestock, horses and pets are hurting.
“We need prayers and just more people to realize how bad it is down there right now. I think they're feeling a little forgotten, and the devastation is incredible, said Maloney.
Red Oak Farm in Lake Charles is the staging area for donations. Gene and Debra Porche are running the staging sight for drop off and pick up of horse and pet supplies
If you'd like to donate funds, supplies or volunteer, you can do so here.
The Equine Advocacy of Louisiana's PayPal donation page is available here.
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