Local Shelter Racing To Help Pets In Need In Flood-Ravaged Texas

WAINSCOTT, NY — As images of devastation in Texas include desperate pets struggling for survival in flood-ravaged areas, the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons is on the way to help.

The Wainscott-based ARF adoption center will be sending a team before dawn Friday morning; three custom-built transport vehicles will be headed south to rescue homeless cats and dogs from areas devastated by flooding in Texas.

ARF has been in communication with rescue organizations that were on the ground in Texas in order to find where it could help immediately, a release said.

One shelter, Austin Pets Alive, had begun to pull animals from the municipal shelter in Corpus Christi to create extra capacity for animals rescued from the towns hit directly by Hurricane Harvey when it made landfall, ARF said.

"As flooding worsened in Houston, Austin Pets Alive began to take animals from the city’s overcrowded shelters to make room for the animals of evacuees. What Austin needed most were partners to transfer these animals to parts of the country where they would at last find homes. ARF has committed to be there by Saturday," the release said.

ARF said they anticipate bringing back between 60 and 70 cats and dogs, depending on the animals' sizes and needs.

Once the animals are medically cleared, they will be available for adoption at the ARF Adoption Center, as well as partner shelters, including the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation and the Kent Animal Shelter.

For more information on ARF and its rescue efforts, click here or follow ARF on Facebookand Instagram.