CDART MANITOBA VOLUNTEERS RETURN HOME FROM KATRINA

Ciem O’Daly and Celine Clark of Winnipeg, both volunteers with the Canadian Disaster Animal Response Team (CDART) are returning home to Winnipeg on Monday night after spending a week working with United Animal Nations (UAN) in Jackson, Mississippi.

O'Daly, the CDART Manitoba Coordinator, has expressed absolute amazement at the response to help animals hurt, lost and homeless in Katrina's wake. Choking back tears, O'Daly expressed her gratitude to the people of Winnipeg who have called in to support the cause. "It's hard to put into words what we have experienced here and both Celine and I are truly grateful to those Manitobans who have made donations", says O'Daly. One call from Jim Gauthier of Jim Gauthier Chevrolet Cadillac to CDART Director, Deborah Silk, was particularly surprising. Mr. Gauthier and his wife, Joyce are well known for their philanthropy where it concerns animals and they have pledged $2,500. which will be presented this week.

Silk reported that she had received a number of calls from Manitoba, all encouraging the work of O'Daly and Clark and the rest of the team going down to the Gulf Coast to help with the displaced animals. "I've spoken with Ciem and Celine almost every day and every day down there is like a week", says Silk. "The temperature is 40 degrees F., they are working from 6am to midnight every day and they wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now." Silk added that Kay Mayfield, the United Animal Nations Emergency Animal Rescue Services Director has included them in on every aspect of their response from interagency meetings, state veterinary meetings, finding fuel and water, organizing volunteer teams and, of course, the hands on work with the animals. "They are seeing Incident Command work at it's very best and

have they have participated in the Planning, Logistics and Operational part of the response", reports Silk. "We are privileged to have them gain this kind of experience in order to be in a better position to help if we ever experience a disaster of this magnitude at home".

While O'Daly and Clark travel home to Winnipeg, the rest of the CDART Manitoba team participated in the Steinbach Parade hosted by the Emergency Measures Organization. The weather was gorgeous and included in the walk was Haeli, a 9 year old rough collie/shepherd who shares her life with Elaine Sutton Kelly of CDART. The CDART team also had an information booth available and spoke to visitors about Emergency Preparedness.

Updates can be followed through Critteraid’s website at www.critteraid.ca by clicking on the emergency animal rescue button.

For more information, please contact:

Deborah Silk, Director

Canadian Disaster Animal Response Team

Phone: 250.493.9752 mobile: 250.809.7152

Email: silk@rpbhotels.com