Teams of trained animal disaster specialists with The Humane Society of the United States are continuing to fan out across San Diego County to visit homes where residents evacuated to provide food and water for animals.
The HSUS is working under the authority of the County of San Diego Department of Animal Services. Residents have been calling the agency with requests to check on animals in homes located in the evacuation zones. County animal control officers working with HSUS disaster specialists are authorized to enter the evacuation areas. Residents have provided the officers with keys, garage door access codes, or permission to enter homes.
The HSUS disaster teams have provided food and water to animals and a measure of relief to residents who learn that their animals and their homes survived the fire when they are contacted by the HSUS team leaders.
"The community has responded to the needs of animals with donations of hay, food, water and other supplies," said Eric Sakach, who is leading the HSUS effort. He arrived on Monday from his office in Sacramento.
The HSUS deployed volunteers from around the country to assist with the disaster relief efforts. Trained animal experts from Michigan, Oregon, Florida, Montana and other locations in California have arrived in San Diego County all week. They anticipate being on the ground through the weekend, and will transition all activities back to San Diego County Animal Services by Monday, unless the fire conditions worsen.
The team is working out of a command center at the Lakeside Rodeo grounds. The facility has served as a temporary shelter for animals, including hundreds of horses. Eighty-eight horses were returned to their owners yesterday as more residents were allowed to return home.
Sakach praises the many residents who evacuated with their animals, and emergency management officials for allowing pets to enter evacuation shelters, such as Qualcomm Stadium. "We've seem some isolated problems and unfortunately a number of animals have perished, but the effort has been largely a success," said Sakach. "This disaster demonstrates that when people can bring their animals along when they leave home, even an evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people can be successful."
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