A few passing clouds. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable..

A few passing clouds. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable.

Something many people may have forgotten in the chaos following last month’s unprecedented flash flooding in eastern Kentucky were the animals. Not the wildlife so prevalent in the hills and mountains, but the pets that became refugees from the waters just as much as their humans.  

That is why a group of local humane societies and rescuers have joined together to form the Capital Coalition for Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief. Made up of Franklin County and Anderson humane societies, All About Animals Inc, Ethan’s Pet Rescue Project and L.I.F.E. House for Animals, these agencies are currently collecting donations of pet supplies that are being transported to affected animal populations in Perry, Knott and Letcher counties.  

The coalition has an Amazon Wish List for donations at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/L9NK4ASNXXN?ref_=wl_share  and donations are also being accepted by appointment at all the member agencies.  

“Trudi Johnson and Karen Ellis started this effort, collecting the first donations,” said Franklin County Humane Society Shelter Manager Kerry Lowary. “Then Jeff Kell, who owns the property where DaVinci’s Pizza is, offered to let them store the supplies and donations in his building.”  

These early donations from the community were enough to fill a 17-foot U-Haul truck, as well as the humane society’s minivan . The first deliveries were made last week.  

“The devastation down there inspired me to think, ‘Well, we can do more.’ Here in the capital, we have a lot of great animal lovers. I have to say that Trudi, Karen and Miche Branscum, who runs Ethan’s Pet Rescue for her son, Ethan, really spea rheaded this.

“I contacted all of them as well as Donna Callahan, with Anderson Humane Society — we have a really tight relationship with them — and said, ‘What if the five of us form a coalition and commit to continuing to collect donations and go down every couple of weeks to deliver the donations?’”  

Lowary believes the fact that local shelters have had to deal with severe flooding themselves makes their assistance in eastern Kentucky even more important.  

“Our shelter was flooded just last year. But we had hours to prepare, and we still had a building left when it was all over with . We had to clean and had some repairs to do, but we were out of our building for maybe four to six weeks. People there will be out of their homes and businesses for a minimum of four to six months, if not indefinitely. Whole communities are gone.”  

Many of the affected shelters were in mobile homes and metal post-frame buildings and had little to no warning to evacuate. With no physical structures left, lost animals are being housed in temporary shelters made of travel kennels or large wire kennels wherever they can find space.  

Kentucky River Regional Animal Shelter in Hazard didn’t suffer damage but is beyond capacity as they house many of the animals either displaced from other shelters or separated from their families.  

“People are displaced. They don’t have homes for themselves and certainly don’t have homes for their animals. This was a small way that we could feel like we could help,” Lowary continued.  

“We have a load of donations coming from a shelter in Minnesota, and Kentucky’s Humane Society of the United States head, Todd Blevins, is driving that over from Louisville. He has been a huge help in getting everything organized as well as the Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners,” she added.

The coalition has a goal of making deliveries of donations every other Thursday for as long as possible.  

Donations of pet food (for all ages), water, cleaning supplies, cat litter and boxes, bedding, crates,  kennels (large kennels are especially needed) and veterinary supplies are all being accepted.  

It is the goal of the coalition to eventually be able to find room in local shelters to foster and hopefully adopt some of the abandoned animals who are not claimed, but as always space is an issue.  

“I have been at Franklin County Humane Society for 10 years now, and I have never seen the volume of animals we have stay at capacity as much as it has recently,” Lowary explained. “We house strays, but also take care of animals for residents who are seeking medical treatment, inpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation, in domestic violence shelters, and people who are losing their homes. It is a matter of space, and ours is limited.”  

But that doesn’t deter these animal lovers from helping furry friends in need, both here and in eastern Kentucky.  

"We are very lucky in that we all work towards the same purpose in this community, and so it’s gratifying to be part of a group that is not only working for the same purpose here in Frankfort but also able to come together and help that part of the state," she explained. "So many people have ties there that live here, and it is a wonderful community in that region . We simply can’t let them go unserved.”  

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

Your comment has been submitted.

There was a problem reporting this.

State-Journal.com’s comments forum is for civil, constructive dialogue about news topics in our community, state, nation and world. We emphasize “civil” at a time when Americans, in the words of the current president, need to “turn down the temperature” of political debates. The State Journal will do its part by more carefully policing this forum. Here are some rules that all commenters must agree to follow: Absolutely no attacks on other commenters, on guest columnists or on authors of letters to the editor. Our print and online opinion pages are sacred marketplaces of ideas where diverse viewpoints are welcome without fear of retribution. You may constructively critique the ideas and opinions of others, but name-calling, stereotyping and similar attacks are strictly prohibited. Leeway will be given for criticism of elected officials and other public figures, but civility is essential. If you focus your criticism on ideas, opinions and viewpoints, you will be less likely to run afoul of our commenting rules. Keep comments focused on the article or commentary in question. Don’t use an article about the Frankfort City Commission, for example, to rant about national politics. Hyperpartisanship that suggests anyone on the other side of an issue or anyone in a particular particular party is evil is not welcome. If you believe that all Democrats are socialists intent on destroying America or that all Republicans are racists, there are lots of places on the internet for you to espouse those views. State-Journal.com is not one. No sophomoric banter. This isn’t a third-grade classroom but rather a place for serious consumers of news to offer their reactions and opinions on news stories and published commentary. No consumer complaints about individual businesses. If you’ve had a bad experience with a private business or organization, contact the Better Business Bureau or the government agency that regulates that business. If you believe the actions of a private business are newsworthy, contact us at news@state-journal.com and we will consider whether news coverage is merited. Absolutely no jokes or comments about a person’s physical appearance. No promotion of commercial goods or services. Our outstanding staff of marketing consultants stands ready to help businesses with effective advertising solutions. If you state facts that have not been previously reported by The State Journal, be sure to include the source of your information. No attacks on State Journal staff members or contributing writers. We welcome questions about, and criticism of, our news stories and commentary but not of the writers who work tirelessly to keep their community informed. Corrections of inaccurate information in news stories should be sent to news@state-journal.com rather than posted in the comments section.

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to read or post comments.

Would you like to receive our daily news? Signup today!

Check your email for details.

Invalid password or account does not exist

Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.

An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.

Thank you. Your purchase was successful.

A receipt was sent to your email.