Tuesday, May 21, 2013

5 ways to help Oklahoma tornado victims UPDATED

UPDATE: Saturday, May 25 -- I've updated my five ways with the latest info. Please check it out!

Photo courtesy of Central Oklahoma Humane Society.
On Tuesdays normally I would write a post about local rescues who need homes. But Oklahoma is very much on my mind. And if it's on your mind too, here are some ways to help people and pets who were affected by the tornado.

Photo courtesy of Central Oklahoma Humane Society.
  1. Spread the word about lost and found pets. The Central Oklahoma Humane Society has opened an official site to see lost and found pets. That can be found at OKCLostPets.com.

    Several Facebook and Twitter groups have set up lost and found pet networks. Some of them on Facebook include Oklahoma Lost & Found Pets, Moore Oklahoma Tornado Lost and Found Animals. On Twitter, check out @DisasterAnimals or @mcclain_em2

    Watch these sites for pets that need to be reunited with family members, and spread the word. If the human families are out there, they are not whole until they are with their pets. Every share and retweet helps.
  2. Donate to local charities. The Central Oklahoma Humane Society is trying to help as many pets in Moore as they can. As of Friday, they had taken in 110 pets, with 53 reunited with their owners. That's 57 animals that still need help.
    Financial donations are needed to help these animals, and animals already at the shelter. Head to Central OK Humane Society blog for the latest info.

    The Oklahoma City Animal Shelter also needs help food towels and blankets. You can call at 405-297-3100 or 405-297-3088.

    The Pet Food Pantry of Oklahoma City is also collecting items. You can call them at 405-664-2858.
  3. Donate to national charities.
    BlogPaws Be the Change for Pets has teamed up with World Vets to help those affected by the tornado. On this blog on the right is a donation button. Over $6,000 has been raised so far, but more is needed. Head here to donate.
    The North Shore Animal League is assisting the victims of the storm with a mobile unit. To further help, North Shore Animal League took dozens of cats and pets who had no owners and were living at the shelter before the storm back to New York. They will be adopted out there. This New York-based shelter bills itself as the largest no-kill shelter in the world, and offers help all over the country when disasters happen. Head to their website to donate. 

    The American Kennel Club is also helping support local groups caring for displaced pets. You can donate to their relief fund on the AKC website.
  4. Donate to search dog groups. The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation has teams on the ground searching buildings levelled by the tornado right now. They've had practice in situations like this. NDSDF dogs went to Joplin, MO, Japan, Haiti, and The World Trade Center after those tragedies, and many more. Help by donating on their website -- time, money, even a dog.
  5. Pawcircle. No matter what you believe, you can send your well-wishes and hopes to those affected by this tornado. Among us pet bloggers, a pawcircle is a way to offer hope and comfort to those missing or even losing their beloved pet. Dana Moody, @danapixie, leads a Pawcircle feed on Twitter. She posts this every night, and I offer it to you now:
"We gather here in paw in paw, paw in hand. Sending good thoughts to those named and unnamed. Wishing all well."

Photo courtesy of Central Oklahoma Humane Society.

9 comments :

  1. fantastic and informative post....sharing it now!

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  2. Those are some great ideas! Very thought provoking, too

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  3. Imma head to the Tulsa Humane Society with cat litter this afternoon. Local shelters are driving down to help and taking their supplies, so are asking for us to help refill what they need on the home front. Little things.

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    1. That's a great point, Flea. The need for that kind of supplies must be great all over that area right now.

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  4. I wondered where you were on Tuesday but I totally understand! I am taking supplies to the Central Oklahoma Humane Society tomorrow. We live down the highway from Moore so it hit close to home. In fact, we had a tornado set down about 1/2 mile from our house on Sunday. So very awful and still hard to believe that all this happened.

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    1. I've been in the path of tornados and hurricanes, and I can't imagine what it must have been like to be near that storm, Lisa. I just keep thinking about that line from Twister, that an EF-5 was like "the finger of God."

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  5. Excellent and informative post. Thanks for the info - we are sharing

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  6. Thanks for keeping Oklahoma in the public eye. :) I linked to you today!

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