Atlanta Taking In Dogs From Storm-Ravaged Puerto Rico

ATLANTA, GA — More than 120 dogs from Puerto Rico will be arriving in metro Atlanta on Wednesday, looking for new homes after their old one was devastated by Hurricane Maria.

The dogs, from two animal rescues in Puerto Rico, are scheduled to arrive at Gwinnett County Airport in Lawrenceville Wednesday afternoon. There could be as many as 160 dogs on the flight, according to Atlanta Humane Society spokeswoman Christina Hill.

The Atlanta Humane Society plans to take in about 55 dogs. The rest will be distributed to four other welfare groups — Cashiers Highlands Humane Society in North Carolina, Charleston Animals Society, Nashville Humane Society and Humane Educational Society in Chattanooga.

Watch: Atlanta Taking In Dogs From Storm-Ravaged Puerto Rico

The flight was organized by the Humane Society of the United States. It was not yet clear Wednesday how long it will be until the dogs from Puerto Rico will be available for adoption. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

At least 48 people were killed when Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico three weeks ago and experts expect the actual death toll will be much higher. Much of the island, which is a U.S. territory, remains without power, water and other necessities.

Taking in displaced animals after devastating storms is nothing new for the Humane Society. After Hurricane Harvey in August, the Atlanta Humane Society took in 30 dogs and cats from Louisiana.

Then, as Hurricane Irma barreled into Florida last month, the group became home to more than 100 animals from shelters in the Sunshine State.

The Atlanta Humane Society's Howell Mill Campus is located at 981 Howell Mill Rd. NW in Atlanta and its Mansell Campus is at 1565 Mansell Rd. in Alpharetta. To visit the AHS website, click here.

File photo courtesy Atlanta Humane Society