Who'll hit the road for Katrina assistance?

[BeastieSlave]

UmassGecko I have a phone # for you ... I'll send a PM

[Mallard's Mum]

Last weekend we drove up to Hattiesburg, MS to drop of our donations of 75 bales of hay, 30 bags of dog food, 55 bags of feed and a couple of bags of cat food plus medicine, buckets, halters, etc. Not to mention 4 big bags of carrots. I think we figured we had 8,000lbs loaded on 40' LQ horse trailer.

I couldn’t believe the huge area of devastation. Once we got to half way between Mobile and Pensacola you started to see trees down, buildings without roofs, metal torn off gas stations. This was all the way to Hattiesburg, so I would hate to see what it looks like on the gulf.

We left on time at 8:00 am and got to Hattiesburg around 5/6pm central time. We were told to deliver our donations to Forrest County Multi - purpose Center. Found the center with no problem. There were a lot of people milling around outside the main building who obviously were evacuated there. We drove the truck and trailer up to an area that had three storage buildings that had semi’s dropping of their stuff. Laurie backed her 40' trailer like a champ and tons of guys came up and helped unload. Our Georgia hay looked fabulous compared to what they had. I have never seen such awful hay. One pile was black and the other looked like straw which I would have used for bedding. So they were really grateful for our lovely green hay.

They unloaded all the feed onto pallets and stored it in the shed. We were so glad to have help unloading. I took plenty of pictures, as I wanted all the people to see where their donations were going. Unfortunately, they said they desperately needed bran and beet pulp as most of the horses they had were old and we didn’t have any.

Didn’t see too many horses, they were all housed in small stalls - like at major shows. The dogs and cats were in another open shed. We managed to get close to three horses. They were so dirty and very unhappy looking. We stroked a few noses and talked to them - they were so glad of the attention.

There were so many people there with blue uniforms on - VMAT - I think they were and then Humane Society people. All the animal areas were restricted and you had to be signed in as a volunteer to even get near them. They had feed, cages, leashes everywhere. It was a zoo with people dropping off and others picking up. I was told that any animals found would be up for adoption in 16 weeks. Saw the cutest golden retriever puppy - I wanted her so bad.

We searched for someone in charge on the horses as we wanted to help them. I finally found the man in charge and he said he didn’t need help but would put us to work if we wanted to. Well we wanted to, but never could find somewhere to stay. It was so frustrating as the RV park next door had so many empty spots, but they wouldn’t let us stay there as they were “paid for”. Uhhh, no one is there and we would pay too!

So we made the decision to return home. We had nowhere to stay and as there were tons of people there it seemed the best decision. It was kind of a let down, as we soo wanted to help. But we had done our job and gotten the south Georgia donations to where they needed to be.

[daysgonebyfarm]

Is there anyone/anywhere near the Virginaia Beach area that will collect donations? I'm leaving for our police competition next THurs and may now only be taking 1 horse - so plenty of room in the trailer for hay and feed donations from up here in MA. Let me know.

[BeastieSlave]

Here are a couple of pictures from Mallard's Mom's trip.

[BeastieSlave]

Another...

[BeastieSlave]

One more...

[sooner]

Thanks for the photos Beastieslave. It looks like quite a bit more supplies arrived at Hattiesburg since we were there on the 11th. It looked almost empty then. We were able to pull our big horse trailer inside and unload everything. The other 2 trailers we took on to Gulfport and Waveland. We're considering another trip next week as folks around here are still contributing!

[BeastieSlave]

I thought Hattiesburg looked good in the pix too. Jimmy said they've been getting big truck loads in pretty regularly....

Glad to hear ya'll are still getting contributions. I know Waveland & Pass Christian could really use anything they can get - hay & feed. If you want to add Pass Christian to your trip, let me know and I'll put you in contact. They have been sharing back & forth with Waveland.

[luckyducky]

BLESS EVERY ONE OF YOU!!!!!! Even though I am far from the action, my heart is with you on every charitable trip you make! This is what America truly is! I am amazed by what this forum has put together, I wish we all could amke these kind of efforts for our fellow man ( or woman)! Thanks for helping the animals, and their devastated owners!

[sooner]

Beastie, looks like we're heaed back down this coming saturday. folks from our area have been more than generous so we have more supplies to distribute. I think we'll head to Pass Christian so if you could pass along that contact info I'd appreciate it. The family we've stayed with(camped out in their front pasture) in Gulfport have been so helpful in pointing us in the right direction but any other help would be appreciated.

[incentive]

Sooner, I sent you a PM about a hay donation. please reply.

[BeastieSlave]

sooner & incentive, I'm slow, but I PM'd you both.

For the rest of you keeping a watch on this thread, there are still loads of supplies going into MS. I'll be happy to pass on any information I have that might be useful to folks wanting to send supplies!

Like we've said before, they are mostly looking for hay now. The pastures have suffered. Many horses that would normally be in barns are turned out because their barns are damaged. The hurricane itself did damage to pastures and hay supplies. The area had a wet summer so there wasn't as much hay as there might have been before.

Some of the feed stores in the area are getting back up and the mills are doing their best to get feed to them. We don't want to take business away from them, so we're trying to stick to hay.

They are also looking for fence materials. There is a great need for livestock fencing and I'm assuming posts. When I talked to one of the MS supply coordinators he said that they are trying to fix holes that downed trees and debris made in existing fences.

[MSP]

This is a few days old now but I found this on thehorse.com. It is a list of supplies needed for Hurricane Rita relief:

Veterinary and medical supplies are needed immediately in Southwest Louisiana for Hurricane Rita victims. Below is the current list; it will be updated as information becomes available. Please contact those listed if you are able to donate any of these supplies.

Medical Supplies
Anything to treat cuts (i.e., Silvadine ointment or triple antibiotic ointment);
Syringes and needles (all sizes);
Rolled gauze;
Rolled cotton;
Vetwrap;
Bandages, 4x4;
Elasticon, 4-inch;
Bandage wraps. 12- and 14-inch;
Gauze, 4-inch;
Eye medications (i.e., atropine ointment, Gentamicin);
Antibiotics (i.e., procaine penicillin, pen-g, Naxcel);
Dexmethasone;
Rompum (Xylazine);
Horse feed;
Hay, round or square bales or cubed;
Dewormer (i.e., Strongid).

Equipment
Washing Machine;
Printers (9);
Refrigerators (2);
Computer work stations (5, the actual computers and the desks);
Food prep pans (40, Sams Club has them; they are used for litter pans);
Window A/C (2)

Office Supplies
Copy Machines (3) large;
Office chairs (10);
Four-drawer file cabinets (5);
Two-drawer file cabinet;
Copy paper;
Pens/pencils;
Notepads;
Sharpies;
Highlighters;
Dry Erase Pens;
Fine point markers;
Hanging file folders
Manila folders (two-prong metal);
Storage cabinets (8);
Drinking water cooler dispensers (6);
Assorted desk organizers.

Ship donations to: SugArena, Acadiana Fairgrounds, 713 NW Bypass, Hwy 3212, New Iberia, LA 70560. For more information contact Terry Fitch of Lone Star Equine Rescue, or Stacy Oubre, director of SugArena, at 337\365-7539.

As of today (Sept. 27), there are about 50 horses at SugArena, with a total of 180 animals, including a variety of farm animals. The staff expects more arrivals in the next few days.

Any animals in need of evacuation from flood-affected areas may be brought to the SugArena. Owners are responsible for feeding their animals. If large animals/livestock are in need of evacuation, call the Equine Hotline at 225\578-9501.

At this time, volunteers should call 337\365-7539 and leave contact information in case help is needed in the coming days.

Hay for cattle is needed in other parts of the state. There is concern that flooded areas might not have enough grass to sustain grazing once the waters recede.

Fitch said the situation at SugArena is not the same as at Gonzalez. "We know who the owners of these animals are, but they've lost their barns and we're helping with feed and stuff," she stated. "The Gonzalez situation completely different."

[incentive]

Friday AM, sooner and the Middleburg,VA. group leave on another run to Katrinaland with a big truckload of hay, etc. for the critters in need!!!

[OldLadyOnATB]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by MSP:
This is a few days old now but I found this on thehorse.com. It is a list of supplies needed for Hurricane Rita relief:

Veterinary and medical supplies are needed immediately in Southwest Louisiana for Hurricane Rita victims. Below is the current list; it will be updated as information becomes available. Please contact those listed if you are able to donate any of these supplies.

Medical Supplies
Anything to treat cuts (i.e., Silvadine ointment or triple antibiotic ointment);
Syringes and needles (all sizes);
Rolled gauze;
Rolled cotton;
Vetwrap;
Bandages, 4x4;
Elasticon, 4-inch;
Bandage wraps. 12- and 14-inch;
Gauze, 4-inch;
Eye medications (i.e., atropine ointment, Gentamicin);
Antibiotics (i.e., procaine penicillin, pen-g, Naxcel);
Dexmethasone;
Rompum (Xylazine);
Horse feed;
Hay, round or square bales or cubed;
Dewormer (i.e., Strongid).

Equipment
Washing Machine;
Printers (9);
Refrigerators (2);
Computer work stations (5, the actual computers and the desks);
Food prep pans (40, Sams Club has them; they are used for litter pans);
Window A/C (2)

Office Supplies
Copy Machines (3) large;
Office chairs (10);
Four-drawer file cabinets (5);
Two-drawer file cabinet;
Copy paper;
Pens/pencils;
Notepads;
Sharpies;
Highlighters;
Dry Erase Pens;
Fine point markers;
Hanging file folders
Manila folders (two-prong metal);
Storage cabinets (8);
Drinking water cooler dispensers (6);
Assorted desk organizers.

Ship donations to: SugArena, Acadiana Fairgrounds, 713 NW Bypass, Hwy 3212, New Iberia, LA 70560. For more information contact Terry Fitch of Lone Star Equine Rescue, or Stacy Oubre, director of SugArena, at 337\365-7539.

As of today (Sept. 27), there are about 50 horses at SugArena, with a total of 180 animals, including a variety of farm animals. The staff expects more arrivals in the next few days.

Any animals in need of evacuation from flood-affected areas may be brought to the SugArena. Owners are responsible for feeding their animals. If large animals/livestock are in need of evacuation, call the Equine Hotline at 225\578-9501.

At this time, volunteers should call 337\365-7539 and leave contact information in case help is needed in the coming days.

Hay for cattle is needed in other parts of the state. There is concern that flooded areas might not have enough grass to sustain grazing once the waters recede.

Fitch said the situation at SugArena is not the same as at Gonzalez. "We know who the owners of these animals are, but they've lost their barns and we're helping with feed and stuff," she stated. "The Gonzalez situation completely different." </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Lonestar/Habitat for Horses really came through for us in Gonzales. These folks are great...and as many of you know I was personally a little skeptical when they first arrived on the scene.

We have also sent supplies to New Iberia from Gonzales. Most of what they have there was sent from us...they don't have much. We also have received 10 horses from that area that were in need of medical attention. Since LSU vets are at Lamar Dixon every day, I assume that the folks in New Iberia felt the injured/sick horses would be better off with us.

From what I have heard, the Lake Charles area was devistated by Rita. One of our crews reported seeing dead cows in trees. We have a weanling colt that was standing next to his moma...she didn't make it. He is badly injured but seems happy to be alive and is getting better every day.

This situation is so tragic for the people that live in these areas. I would never have guessed until my involvement in this project, just how serious an effect all this has on the horses too.

But....happily...they still whinny at me every morning when I arrive at Lamar Dixon. I have come to love each and every one of them. They are all survivors and in their own way, very special.

Guys from HFH/Lonestar...if you read this...I am saying prayers for you. Please call us and let us know how you are doing.

Blessings to you.

Elizabeth

[RHF_cSi]

okay so i know this may have already been brought up but i finally have computer access and dont feel like going through the whole thread.

I heard that the state vet of MS wouldn't bring hay and feed to the animals in biloxi gulfport and surrounding areas because there was no distribution plan! My trainer had to start his own help with some friends in LA and FLA and was distributing the hay and feed himself!1 I know that the USEF was trying to help distibute some of the feed and hay but that it was all being held in Jackson MS and wouldn;t be brought down because of the state vet. she also threatened to arrest my trainers friends for distibuting the feed and hay to the starving horses down here. One elderly couple in particular would have had no relief for there horses had it not been for my trainer and there friends in the surrounding areas. Has this been resolved yet i haven't had much time to talk to my trainer since i've been stationed here in CO.

[BeastieSlave]

We have had no problems (once the convoy got moving) getting feed and hay into MS. It is true that there wasn't much of a plan in place, but distribution sites were set up in south Mississippi. COTH members have taken, and continue to take, hay & feed to distribution points in Jackson County (near Pascagula), Waveland, and Pass Christian, as well as Hattiesburg. There have also been deliveries to individual locations.

I haven't heard of any arrests from credible sources, and I haven't heard of any problems with deliveries in a long time. BTW, I believe the MS state vet is a he.

I don't know if I'd say all the problems have been resolved, but things are getting better

[RHF_cSi]

thank you all so much i know how much the horses down there needed it and i'm glad it hasn't been to difficult i was very worried for a while. thank you all i know my farm in ms is certainly greatful along with the rest of the horse owners!!!

[sooner]

RHF,
You have a wonderful person in Gulfport who has been named the Equine Liason there. If you are in need of any supplies or know of other horse people in need please contact Crama Khoury at 228-860-5055 and she'll see that help gets sent in the proper direction. She was wonderful to us when we came down from VA with supplies the 2nd week of Sept. She had our crew of six with three trucks/horse trailers camp in her front yard where it was safe. We were able to go out as per her direction and drop hay and grain to those who needed it. Please give her a call.