North Carolina faced severe damage from Hurricane Florence in September 2018. Once the hurricane made landfall, it was downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane, but continued to pose a tremendous risk to people and animals who did not evacuate.
The hurricane became a Category 4 hurricane with wind speeds of more than 200 kilometers per hour.
These types of natural disasters pose a huge risk to the lives of hundreds of dogs and cats that need people's help to be able to save themselves. An example of this is the heroic rescue operation carried out by volunteers in an area severely affected by rain and floods.
The dogs were abandoned in the town of Leland, southeastern North Carolina.
The people on this property fled, leaving six defenseless dogs caged and unable to escape in the face of the increasing danger of standing water that was reaching increasingly dangerous levels. Volunteers discovered them in time and decided to get them out of there. It was a matter of time before the water levels rose and ended their lives.
When volunteers arrived, the dogs were howling and begging for help.
Once they were able to open the gate that kept them locked, the dogs quickly got out of there and were very relieved that they had managed to escape. Journalist Marco DePaola shared what happened on his Twitter account, and called on people not to abandon their dogs at such a dangerous time.
Once they were able to emerge from the stagnant water, the dogs seemed to celebrate being alive. The video has not stopped being shared and has become a poignant invitation to reflect on how much these innocent animals are suffering in the midst of such a dangerous situation.
The Florence phenomenon was caused by a drop in pressure off the African coast and turned into a hurricane when it reached the Caribbean Sea.
City Mayor Mitch Colvin spoke of the urgent need to evacuate the area, because although the hurricane's strength has decreased, it will continue for several days in the form of a tropical storm.
“If you refuse to leave during this mandatory evacuation, you must notify your next of kin because it is very likely that you will lose your life. The worst is yet to come.”
We greatly appreciate the work of the rescuers who were able to save these sweet puppies in a timely manner.
We invite you to share this video to raise awareness about the need to protect our pets at all times.