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Yours truly has been deployed to Cedar Rapids by the Emergency Animal Rescue Service division of United Animal Nations to assist with emergency animal rescue operations at the temporary shelter set up at Kirkwood Community College! My friend Heather is also going, so I’m happy to have a friend going along with me. If you remember, we trained with EARS last summer in Minneapolis to get certified in emergency animal rescue and after only one short year, we’ve been deployed. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever get deployed to help on a disaster site but here I am… I’m excited and nervous and don’t know what to expect (aside from physical and emotional exhaustion when all is said and done).
From what I know, the shelter is currently housing between 300 and 400 animals that have been displaced from their homes. Pet owners who had to evacuate were able to leave their animals at the EARS shelter, where they will be cared for by volunteers. Since I have photography and journalism experience, I might be helping out in those fields in addition to animal care.
When I get back on Thursday (I’m heading up to CR tomorrow) I’ll have lots of pictures and stories to share. Until then, visit www.uan.org for more info on United Animal Nations, and make a donation if you can!
