LDAF Assisting Harvey Evacuees

BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) is assisting in moving pets that have arrived with their owners to seek shelter in Louisiana.

Texas evacuees began moving from Lake Charles to the Alexandria shelter overnight. The LDAF mobile pet shelter is in Lake Charles this morning to continue to assist in transporting to Alexandria pets that escaped the flood waters with their owners.  

As of this time, 43 dogs and 18 cats have been co-located with their owners at the pet shelter in Alexandria. Seventy dogs and 16 cats are en route to Alexandria in two pet trucks which include the mobile pet shelter. LDAF veterinarians and supplies are on site.  

“As Louisiana gets an influx of evacuees, we will do what we can to ensure their pet companions are nearby and taken care of while these victims of Hurricane Harvey cope with this disaster,” said LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M. “As we’ve seen in recent years, family pets bring comfort to those who are in the most unbearable situations.”     

The LDAF has 100 kennels on site at the shelter in Lake Charles. The LDAF is also providing 200 soft sided carriers in the mobile pet truck for pets traveling by bus.  

The LDAF is also prepared to release food commodities for mass feeding.  

The LDAF has fuel stations prepared for activation in the event of fuel disruption.