In response to the deadly Hurricane Helene, Alley Cat Allies’ Rapid Response Team rushed to Jasper County, South Carolina, to provide critical emergency supplies and support on the ground for cats affected by the storm.
With decades of experience responding to disasters, we know the most important items to bring: generators to provide power through days-long outages, vital vaccines for hundreds of indoor and community cats, medical supplies including flea and tick treatment and immune support, wet and dry cat and kitten food, and other critical supplies to help cats in local shelters and community cats emerging in the aftermath of the hurricane.
To provide further relief—and have a long-lasting positive impact on the community—Alley Cat Allies will also support Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and no-cost cat food bank resources for indoor and community cats in the area.
Our first stop was to Jasper Animal Rescue Mission, which was without power with over 100 cats and other animals in its care. Our generators were invaluable, and the cat food immediately went to work to help animals within the facility—like Falafel, Holly, and many more. In the wake of the hurricane, the taxed rescue took in multiple animals who were displaced from their homes.
“With the power being out for the last three days, it was very difficult for us to keep the place rolling,” said Keith Hughes, board president for Jasper Animal Rescue Mission, which has a TNR program that will also receive Alley Cat Allies support. “We couldn’t do this without the generosity of other organizations. It’s huge, this help is exactly what we need.”
Recovery from disasters is never a short process; affected communities will need aid for the foreseeable future for cats and their caregivers. Alley Cat Allies always considers the long term in our disaster response, including by helping to develop humane and effective programs in any area we work in. We will continue to support the Jasper County community after Hurricane Helene and are strategizing further action to save lives.
We deeply thank our supporters for being the reason we can move swiftly and effectively with our disaster response for cats at the moments it is most needed. If you would like to support our lifesaving work, please consider a gift at alleycat.org/Donate.
