Sandy-Trained Animal Shelter to Watch for Weather

By Kate Andries, Capital News Service

The 1st Mariner Arena is usually home to big-name concerts and sports events, but as Hurricane Sandy barreled toward the East Coast last October, some new guests moved in: nearly 300 animals from the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter.

Located barely a block away from the harbor’s waters, near the Federal Hill neighborhood, the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter stood a serious chance of flooding. As reports of the storm’s increasing intensity rolled in, one thing was on the mind of the BARCS volunteer staff: What do we do with all these animals?

BARCS is Baltimore’s largest animal rescue center and houses about 300 animals a day, in addition to the 200 or so it has placed in foster homes. Its Stockholm Street location is close enough to the water to cause serious concern in the face of a storm.

Until Hurricane Sandy, the staff had never evacuated the shelter because of weather, said Joe Miletti, BARCS’ volunteer program manager.

“Luckily there was no damage to the shelter,” Miletti said. “The community came to our help.”

According to a note shared by the BARCS executive director, Jennifer Brause, on the shelter’s Facebook page, Hoffberger Moving Services donated time and vehicles to help move the shelter animals from BARCS' headquarters to the arena. In addition, “several hundred compassionate community volunteers and dozens of dedicated staff members” loaded up their cars and SUVs to transport food and supplies.

The move took 2-and-a-half hours.

The evacuation in response to Hurricane Sandy spurred the shelter to take preparation for major weather events even more seriously than before.

“We have quite a few plans in place,” Miletti said, noting that the shelter is now prepared “in case of fire or earthquake” in addition to hurricane plans.

BARCS takes in more than 11,000 animals a year, from kittens and puppies to wildlife and exotic animals. Created as a non-profit in 2005, a majority of BARCS’ funding comes from a grant from the city of Baltimore.