Duval County

Jacksonville Humane Society takes in animals evacuated from Hurricane Ida

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Now is the perfect chance to open your home and your heart to take in a furry friend and help with Hurricane Ida disaster relief.

On Monday, the Jacksonville Humane Society is taking in nearly a dozen pets from Louisiana.

That’s why the Jacksonville Humane Society needs help clearing out its shelter to help make room for shelter animals that were in the path of Hurricane Ida.

“Most of Louisiana is low lying and so very subject to flooding. There are several shelters that are close to the impact area that are subject to that flooding,” Denise Deisler, President and CEO of the Jacksonville Humane Society, said.

Deisler said the pets were supposed to arrive on Sunday, but they were delayed because there’s few evacuation routes out of the state.

“There’s kind of two major roads out of the area. Traffic was backed up seriously which certainly backed up those who were on the road with animals as well,” she said.

Many of the shelters in Louisiana have found themselves without water or power after the storm and there’s no timeline on when that’ll be restored.

The pandemic has also created additional challenges for the Jacksonville Humane Society and the city shelter, Animal Care and Protective Services.

It’s another reason why Deisler is asking the community to step up and help.

“Both of us are experiencing staff shortages so it’s been a really challenging time for people in the sheltering world,” she said.

The Jacksonville Humane Society has anywhere between 300 to 600 animals at a time which includes the animals that are being fostered.

Currently, they have about 70 dogs and 150 cats under its roof in need a home today.

“We encourage you to come by and give one of these wonderful animals a home,” Deisler said.

All adoption fees have also been waived.