NYC animal shelters help rescue pets saved from Hurricane Dorian

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Hershey just arrived in New York City Tuesday. The one-year old mixed breed was  evacuated from a shelter in Jacksonville, Florida ahead of Hurricane Dorian’s arrival and taken in by Bideawee, a shelter with locations on Manhattan’s East Side and Long Island. 

“When we see the weather that there will be a hurricane we immediately start reaching out to our partners to try to get as many animals out as possible,” said Kate Lombardi, the manager of volunteer and events for Bideawee.

Hundreds of pets have already made their way North from the path of the storm.

Bideawee has taken in four dogs, all of which are available for adoption.  The shelter expects to get more dogs from Florida and the hard-hit Bahamas in the coming days.

“A lot of times people want to get involved in any way they can’t and sometimes they can’t go down and go disaster relief but this is a way for them to help the animals and also help the shelters,” said Lombardi.

The ASPCA has received animals from South Carolina, which Thursday was pounded by heavy winds, rain and flooding.

“In collaboration with Wings of Rescue, the ASPCA transported nearly 200 cats and dogs from shelters that were going to be hit by the hurricane,” said Kelly DiCiccio, ASPCA’s manager of adoption promotions.

The ASPCA’s East 92nd street location took in 20 cats, all of which will be up for adoption in the coming days. DiCiccio says the center is used to taking in animals ahead of natural disasters.

“It also frees up space and resources for displaced pets in the path of the hurricane or for unknown pets in need of immediate medical care, so you’re really helping a lot of animals by adopting a hurricane kitty,” she said.

ASPCA has set up a Dorian adoption hotline at 646-291-4526. For more information on the dogs at Bideawee, visit www.Bideawee.org.