Many of you may not be aware that members of Big Heart Rescue are also disaster response trained through Noah's Wish, an organization whose sole purpose is to do emergency disaster response for animals.
Please read the year in review from Noah's Wish and if you are interest in attending the Noah's Wish Disaster Response training being held in Saanichton on April 11-13 2008 please feel free to contact Gail Moerkerken, BC Canada Coordinator for Noah's Wish at moerkerken@shaw.ca
Share the Journey – The Year 2007 in Review
For more than 5 years, Noah’s Wish has stayed true to its mission of saving the lives of animals impacted by disasters and 2007 was no exception.
We believe that the organization’s true strength is in our dedicated and highly skilled volunteers, Coordinators, staff and Board of Directors, all of whom work tirelessly to strive for the highest standard of care for all animals affected by disasters.
Join us as we look back over the past year, its successes and heartbreaks, how we have transformed lives and worked together to unify this organization to help set the standard for animal care during disasters. This is the story of Noah’s Wish at work, a story that includes your journey of compassion with us.
Winter and early spring played havoc with the organization. Dramatic downsizing, postponement of trainings, and, sadly, saying goodbye to friends were just some of the disappointments in the early part of 2007.
The rallying point came in late June, when we were called upon to establish a shelter in South Lake Tahoe, California, during the Angora Fire that ravaged the area.
On a warm Sunday afternoon, winds pushed fire into tinder dry forest and residential areas. Scores of homes were destroyed and many people, along with their companion animals, were displaced. Noah’s Wish was called into action during the early stages of the fire and had resources at the scene and a shelter established within 6 hours.
The Angora Fire started on June 24, 2007, burned 3,100 acres, destroyed 254 homes, damaged dozens of structures and displaced 3,500 residents and their pets. An illegal campfire was determined to be the cause.
The shelter was operational for eight days and managed the care of 139 animals.
Twenty-three trained volunteers staffed the shelter, some traveling from as far way as Orange County, California. In addition, a number of local residents volunteered their time to help clean cages and walk dogs, cuddle cats and comfort people. This incident proved to be the catalyst the organization needed to rally, gather strength and move forward.
Fire seemed to be the plague of the West last summer. At one time, there were over 50 major wildfires burning in Montana and Idaho. On August 16, 2007, Noah’s Wish received a call asking if we were available to help; another fire had gotten out of control and homes were being evacuated in the Missoula, Montana, area.
Called “The Black Cat Fire”, this one was not only hard to contain, but harder still to anticipate where it might flare up, causing numerous evacuations to be mandated and then lifted.
As a result, evacuees were dropping off and picking up their companion animals and livestock sporadically during the entire deployment. Volunteers were kept very busy with the 77 animals in the shelter, until all evacuation orders were lifted and the shelter closed on August 29, 2007.
Our latest and largest deployment occurred during the Southern California Firestorm this past October. The largest evacuations in the history of California were well underway when Noah's Wish opened its shelter at Qualcomm Stadium, less than ten hours after being asked by San Diego County Animal Control to respond.
Volunteers began organizing the hundreds of animals brought in by evacuees from every part of San Diego County. Our first response trailer was onsite within hours of the first call and a caravan of command and supply vehicles joined the team early the next day.
These fires were immense. The two largest, “Harris”
and “Witch” burned a combined total of 284,000 acres and 1,238 structures were damaged or destroyed. At one point, 500,000 people were evacuated. Noah’s Wish volunteers again rallied and were able to manage a large scale operation with flying colors.
Interspersed with disaster responses were numerous disaster preparedness drills and community outreach events aimed at honing our skills so we would be prepared when an actual disaster called. Volunteers generously devoted their time and efforts to making these all success stories for the organization.
2007 was a watermark for Noah’s Wish. The organization has strengthened and grown and continues to be recognized as an integral part of the animal disaster planning process for communities.
While our paths may differ, together on our shared journey we have accomplished much. Be encouraged and take another step forward with us as we move into 2008. Our work has just begun!
Please take a few minutes to visit our new website at www.noahswish.info to share more details, pictures and our newsletters showing you what 2007 meant to us.
Noah’s Wish Board of Directors
Angora Fire South Lake Tahoe, California June 2007
Survivor - Black Cat Fire Missoula, Montana August 2007
San Diego County Firestorm October, 2007
Thank you for making a difference!
P.O. Box 4288, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
Phone: 916-939-9474 Fax : 916-939-9479
E-Mail: info@NoahsWish.info Website: www.NoahsWish.info
A not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Gifts are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.