As hundreds of thousands of Northwest Indiana residents wait for power to be restored and storm damage to be cleaned up, local animal shelters are facing the same issues.
“It’s all bad everywhere,” said Jessica Greer, senior director at Humane Indiana in Munster. “It’s bad at the shelter, it’s bad at home. We’re feeling so sorry for the community and so sorry for all of our supporters and for our own animals. There’s a lot of pets that are scared … it’s just so sad all around.”
Humane Indiana has been without electricity and air conditioning since storms hit Tuesday, Greer said, and the facility’s phones were down as of Friday morning. The shelter closed Tuesday following the storm and remained closed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Humane Indiana was still receiving strays, Greer said Thursday afternoon, and shelter employees asked people to contact their local animal control to coordinate with the team.
“The staff are doing their best to care (for the animals) every day,” Greer said. “They’re using flashlights on their phones, and they’re bringing flashlights from home. We’re medicating as best as we can in the dark.”
Although the power is out and phone lines are down, Greer said the shelter hasn’t had structural damage. There was flooding in some receptacle areas, she said.
“A good chunk” of animals remain in the building, Greer said, adding that they’re looking for rescue placements and asking people if they can foster animals. Those that were in foster care before the storms are staying with those families, she said.
“It’s pretty hard right now, though,” Greer added. “A lot of our fosters, they’re also local community members. The whole community has been struck so hard that it’s a hard ask for anybody who’s dealing with their own home that’s been devastated by the storm.”
People who had scheduled clinic or surgery appointments are asked to message the Facebook page to reschedule, according to the shelter’s page. Those who find lost animals or need assistance from the pet food pantry are also asked to message the Facebook page.
The shelter is also asking for donations, Greer said, including towels, blankets, bedding and treats. They also have a page on their website for monetary donations.
“It’s so difficult because whenever the shelter has had a need, … the community has always been so generous, and we’ve always received such an outpouring of support, and we still are,” Greer said. “But this time, it’s not just us that needs help. Everybody needs help, and it’s so hard because everyone’s down bad right now, so it’s tough to ask (for help).”
Humane Indiana’s wildlife sanctuary in Valparaiso said in a Facebook post that staff could hear trees coming down on the property as storms rolled in Tuesday. Its goat/pig pen and songbird enclosure were damaged.
“This weather is exhausting. We know you feel it too. We are still reeling from the last storm,” the Wednesday post read.
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Dozens of wildlife who had been injured or displaced by the storms were brought to the sanctuary, but by Friday, power had been restored
Other area animal shelters have struggled during the storms, including the Hobart Humane Society. As of about 9 a.m. Friday, power had been restored at the shelter.
According to its Facebook page, the shelter had experienced possible structural damage, flooding and a phone and internet outage as well. People were asked not to bring animals to the shelter, according to a Thursday post.
On Friday, the shelter announced that it had secured a generator for additional support, and roofing companies provided inspections and estimates. Rescue partners and foster families took in pets, according to its page.
Although power was restored, the facility was closed Friday to catch up on cleaning, assess the building’s safety and care for animals in foster homes. The shelter thanked those who volunteered or donated on its Facebook page.
“From the bottom of our hearts — and on behalf of every animal depending on us — thank you for showing up for our shelter when we needed you most,” the Facebook post said.
A Hobart Humane Society representative was unable to immediately respond to a request for comment about the storm’s effects on the shelter.
Lakeshore PAWS, a nonprofit organization based in Valparaiso, announced in a Thursday Facebook post that power had been restored to the shelter, and they’d returned to normal business hours. Phones were down while power was out, according to the Facebook page.
Lakeshore PAWS did not mention whether the building had structural damage or flooding, and a representative was unable to immediately respond to a request for comment about the storm’s effects on the facility.
“Our staff will also be working through the applications and messages we received during the outage and reaching out to everyone as quickly as possible,” the post said. “We appreciate your patience as we get caught back up. Thank you to our amazing team and our community for sticking with us through a difficult couple of days.”
The Gary Animal Control Center has been without power since Tuesday’s storms, according to an email from Gary Police Chief Derrick Cannon. The building hasn’t sustained any flooding or structural damage, Cannon said in his email.
The shelter is still accepting stray animals, Cannon said, but due to space limitations, they’re limited in their ability to accept owner surrenders. The shelter provides “ample resources and alternative options” to those who need assistance in surrendering or rehoming pets.
The Gary animal shelter has 31 dogs now, Cannon said. Staff can still safely access the shelter and provide daily care.
“Despite the power outage, staff continue to provide care, including feeding, fresh water, cleaning, and regular monitoring,” he said in the email. “Staff are also conducting regular checks on the animals throughout the day to ensure their safety and well-being. All kennels remain intact and secure, and no animals were harmed during the storm. We are adjusting our daily operations as needed to ensure the animals remain safe, comfortable, and properly cared for throughout the outage.”
All volunteers and donations for the animal shelter are being facilitated through SilverStray Social, Cannon said, adding that the shelter is in need of blankets, bleach and dish soap.