7/3/06: Northeast Floods & Animal Situation
Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Relief News/Needs
TO SEE PAST GULF COAST NEWSLETTERS, VISIT:
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/katrina/vol_cover.html

IN THIS ALERT:

1. SMALL BITES
2. PENNSYLVANIA: Where To Bring Companion Animals
3. Emergency Animal Rescue Services (EARS) Action Report
4. Floods Swamp Thousands
5. DELAWARE: Cats, Chained Dogs, Farm Animals Mostly At Risk
6. PENNSYLVANIA: PA Begins Flood Cleanup
7. NEW JERSEY: NJ Sees Repeat Flooding
8. OHIO: OH Assesses Damage

3. Emergency Animal Rescue Services (EARS) Action Report
SOURCE: http://www.uan.org/ears/action_report.html

EARS is constantly monitoring disaster situations around the U.S. and posts Action Reports to keep EARS volunteers and other interested UAN supporters up to date on EARS' efforts to make contact with local officials and/or prepare to respond when needed.

For disasters that do not yet require an EARS response, Action Reports will be updated when the need for EARS volunteers or other assistance changes or if the status of affected animals changes. During EARS disaster responses, updates to Action Reports will be more frequent.

Last Updated - July 2, 2006 - By Alexis Raymond, Communications Director

Location: New York - Flooding
EARS Region: Northeast  /  Contact: Kay Mayfield
Weather/Disaster Activity: Heavy rain has caused severe flooding and evacuations in New York and Pennsylvania. As of Friday, June 30, more  than 1,000 people where rescued from their homes in the Conklin, New York area. Water levels have receded, but many  people are  still unable to return to their homes.

EARS Update: The state of New York has requested UAN's assistance with flood recovery in the area around Binghamton, New York. Currently search and rescue operations are being conducted for people and animals. Kay Mayfield, EARS National  Director, is on site and assisting the local shelter with their recovery efforts.

Supply Needs: None at this time.
Volunteer Needs: None at this time.

4. Floods Swamp Thousands
SOURCE: http://www.disasternews.com/news/news.php?articleid=3208

SUSAN KIM, BALTIMORE (June 29, 2006) — Floodwaters have submerged a huge swath across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast - with more storms forecast for Thursday. For many residents anxious to check on their flood damage, Thursday was a matter of "wait-and-see."

The water has not yet receded in towns like Binghamton, New York. There, Broome County officials reported that the nearby town of Conklin was devastated, and it could take several more days for water to recede there.

Water was still rising in parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, though residents in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., dodged the threat of catastrophic flooding. In northern Pennsylvania, more than 1,000 people had to be rescued from rooftops or from the second floors of their homes on Wednesday, according to reports from the governor's office. Officials are still watching the Delaware River in southeast Pennsylvania and in New Jersey. That river is expected to crest in the Trenton, N.J., area on Thursday afternoon.

At least 16 people are dead. With rivers still rising, and many roads inaccessible, officials have not been able to even begin damage assessments in many locations. Homes and roads are swamped across large sections of New Jersey, New York, Maryland and Pennsylvania. In Maryland, a flash flood warning was still lingering near the city of Rockville, where officials were still assessing the Lake Needwood Dam, according to the National Weather Service.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) issued a national statement urging people to take their pets when they evacuate. Animals who are turned loose or left behind to fend for themselves are likely to become victims of starvation, predators, contaminated food or water, accidents, or exposure to the elements, according to HSUS.

5. DELAWARE: Cats, Chained Dogs, Farm Animals Mostly At Risk
SOURCE: http://network.bestfriends.org/delaware/news/5552.html

6/27/06: Sussex County Hit Hard. Governor Declares State of Emergency for Seaford and Blades as animals perish...



Visit Delaware's place on the Best Friends Network for updates, reports from rescuers, resources for animals: http://network.bestfriends.org/delaware/news/5552.html

6/30/06 Update: Delawareans Respond with Help for the Animals; Horses and Many Dogs Saved — The crisis has subsided as Delaware's large humane organizations stepped in to assist and coordinate. Concerned animal lovers across Delaware began calling and emailing to mobilize for help as soon as the crisis became known. Whimsical Animal Rescue, Inc. of Seaford, which had put out the early alert, was quickly contacted by Delaware Humane Association, and calls were referred to Delaware Humane and Kent County SPCA for assistance. Since Whimsical is a small local group, these larger organizations stepped forward to use their capabilities to provide the assistance the animals needed.

Tammy Magaha, President of Whimsical Animal Rescue, Inc. and Sussex County Animal Association. reports "Things are fine here now. We got calls on 13 dogs and 5 horses stranded/swimming etc. All have gotten back to their owners..." She also confirmed that cats perished and expressed concern for the many chained dogs in the area.

The number of farm animals who drowned in the flooding will take time to ascertain but is estimated to be in the tens of thousands. The Washington Post reported June 28th that as many as 80,000 chickens died in the Delmarva area, citing one farmer in Dorechester County, MD who alone lost 30,000 4-week old chickens.

And the Delaware SPCA has unveiled plans for a state-of-the-art Disaster Preparedness Plan for animals... See Full Story for all the details of this update: http://network.bestfriends.org/delaware/news/5640.html

6/29/06 Update: John Caldwell, director of Delaware SPCA, says actually the shelters and homeless animals are doing pretty well considering. That assessment is describing the homeless pets in shelters and SPCA. Mr. Caldwell said they are not seeing a loss of life or influx into shelters at this moment. Best Friends is currently checking with other agencies/orgs to see if help is needed.

RELATED STORIES & RESOURCES:
State & local officials assessing damage in Seaford areahttp://www.wgmd.com/newspost/fullnews.php?id=65

DELAWARE ONLINE
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=news&Template=photo

DELAWARE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
http://www.state.de.us/dema/

DELAWARE SPCA
http://www.delspca.org/disaster.html

DISASTER TIPS
http://www.health-news-and-information.com/3stfrancishealth/libv/p49.shtml

Visit Delaware's place on the Best Friends Network for updates, reports from
rescuers, resources for animals: http://network.bestfriends.org/delaware/news/5552.html

6. PENNSYLVANIA: PA Begins Flood Cleanup
SOURCE: http://www.disasternews.com/news/news.php?articleid=3212

HEATHER MOYER, NEW HOPE, Pa. (6/30/06) — As Pennsylvania cleans up after 11 inches of rain fell in six days, 34 counties are under consideration for a federal disaster declaration.  Residents all along the Susquehanna, Delaware, Schuykill and Lehigh rivers are coping with what the swollen rivers left behind. "This storm system devastated a large portion of the commonwealth," said Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell in a news release.

Five deaths are blamed on flooding in the state. All day Friday, residents removed soggy belongings from flooded homes and businesses, with some areas now cleaning up after the third flood in two years. The water has not yet receded in some areas, with televised images showing many homes still partially underwater.

Yardley and New Hope along the Delaware River, and then Bloomsburg along the Susquehanna River, look to be the hardest hit communities, said a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA).

Cities along the Delaware River like Easton, New Hope and Yardley were last flooded in the spring of 2005. "Damage assessments will begin Sunday," said Christopher Manlove, a PEMA spokesperson. "The concentration now is on returning people to their homes."

Rivers and streams remain at flood stage in many areas, including Wilkes-Barre and all down the state's eastern border with New Jersey. Manlove said 13 shelters remain active across the state with more than 1,300 occupants, yet the majority of those being sheltered are from the Bloomsburg area.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is inspecting dams across the state and advising residents to test contaminated well water. The agency is also monitoring the debris cleanup and telling residents how to carefully handle the flooded property.

"Getting flood-damaged belongings cleaned up and hauled away as quickly as possible is vital to public health and the environment and essential to helping communties return to normal," said Kathleen A. McGinty, the state's Environmental Protection Secretary.

Many roads and highways remain closed due to high water, according to the state Department of Transportation. The rivers have already crested in most areas, but flood warnings remain in effect for eastern Pennsylvania along the Delaware River.

Counties being considerd for a federal disaster declaration are Adams, Armstrong, Berks, Bradford, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Philadelphia, Pike, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, Wyoming and York.

SOURCE: http://www.disasternews.com/news/news.php?articleid=3207
Levees hold in PA
SUSAN KIM, BALTIMORE (June 29, 2006) — The threat of catastrophic flooding was lifted Thursday morning as the levees held near Wilkes-Barre, Pa., where some 200,000 were ordered to evacuate on Wednesday.  The Susquehanna River began receding early Thursday after Wilkes-Barre residents were told to prepare for the worst.

But that doesn't mean residents completely dodged the bullet. Local authorities emphasized that they were still assessing damage to homes, business and utilities. On Wednesday, Pennsylvania issued mandatory evacuation orders for 200,000 people in the Wilkes-Barre area, confirmed Trooper Lynette Quinn, who was representing the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

The rising Susquehanna River put such a strain on flood control systems that state officials felt they had to issue the evacuation, which they called "precautionary but mandatory," said Quinn. Wilkes-Barre is in northeastern Pennsylvania. It was devastated by flooding in 1972 when the remnants of Hurricane Agnes swept through. The city is now protected by levees.

 
7. NEW JERSEY: NJ Sees Repeat Flooding
SOURCE: http://www.disasternews.com/news/news.php?articleid=3209

HEATHER MOYER, PHILLIPSBURG, N.J. (June 29, 2006) — Parts of New Jersey are now coping with flooding from this week's heavy rains - the third flood in two years for the region's residents. National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters are predicting more rain and thunderstorms for the area Thursday afternoon, which would only add to the flood woes. Some of the thunderstorms are expected to be severe and drop as much as two inches of rain, prompting the NWS to warn residents of quick-rising streams and flash floods for the afternoon.

On Wednesday, thousands fled their homes as rising water inundated cities and neighborhoods. Many residents are now experiencing the third flood in two years. The remnants of Hurricane Ivan deluged the state in the fall of 2004, and then heavy rains again flooded the region in the spring of 2005.

In Phillipsburg, the flooded Delaware River shut down roads and entire neighborhoods. The situation is similar for many of the communities all along the Delaware River in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The Delaware River is expected to crest on Thursday, some 14 feet over flood stage. New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine surveyed the flooded regions by helicopter Thursday but said it's too early to estimate how much damage has been done.

Residents in Stockton, Mercer County and Trenton are all coping with the Delaware River's high water as well. Many residents there fled the high water closing in on their homes. Many workers in Trenton were sent home due to the high water.

State officials say the extent of the damage is not yet known and just because the river is expected to crest does not mean the worst is over for now. Wednesday night storms knocked down trees and power lines around Salem, Gloucester and Camden counties.

Much of the western part of the state remained under either a flood warning or a flood watch. Southwestern New Jersey is under coastal flood watches due to high tides. The NWS reports that parts of New Jersey received between five and nine inches of rain in only five days. The Delaware River's flood stages are also contributed to by the large amount of rain received upstream in New York.

The entire state remains under a state of emergency. Other rivers at risk of flooding include the Ramapo and the Passaic.

8. OHIO: OH Assesses Damage
SOURCE: http://www.disasternews.com/news/news.php?articleid=3203

SUSAN KIM, BALTIMORE (June 24, 2006) — Ohio emergency management officials are assessing damages after this week's severe storms. Thousands of people were still without power earlier this week but most power was restored by Saturday morning. The storms brought heavy rain and 110-mph wind gusts to wide portions of the state. Hundreds of residents were out removing flood-damaged possessions on Saturday.

Northern Ohio got some of the heaviest rain and most pronounced flood damage. Flash flooding in Toledo, Norwalk and Port Clinton forced evacuations. Shelters were opened in local churches and schools in the most
affected areas. Most shelters housed between two and 14 people overnight. In Toledo, 350 homes were affected by flooding. Nine had major damage, according to reports from Ohio emergency management. Another 400 homes were affected in Norwalk and Sandusky, with 10 sustaining major damage.

In Erie County, there are 50 homes with basement flooding near Perkins Township. Forty homes have first floor flooding. County reports indicate most damage is insured. The National Weather Service reported three possible tornado touchdowns, one each in Allen, Mercer and Holmes counties. Two homes were destroyed in Holmes County. High straight-line winds downed trees and power lines all over the state.

Faith-based groups were in contact with clergy and other local partners to assess unmet needs.

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