Tuesday, October 15: The second day of the mobile veterinary clinic was another success. So far, the clinic has served 126 animals from 73 families, including 86 dogs, 40 cats, and even one goat. The community continues to express deep gratitude for the assistance being provided, as these services are making a significant difference for the animals and their owners. Additionally, more cats were pulled from Douglas County and will arrive at Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in New York City on Thursday.

Monday, October 14: Yesterday, the mobile veterinary clinic, based at Heart of the Foothills in Rutherford County, had a fantastic first day. They successfully served 64 animals, including 41 dogs and 23 cats, from 38 families. In addition to offering care for storm-related injuries, the clinic provided first-aid treatments, vaccinations, and preventive care. The response from the community was overwhelming, with many seeking immediate assistance for their pets in the aftermath of the recent storms. Staffed by three veterinarians, technicians, and volunteers, the clinic opened to a line of people waiting for services, demonstrating the significant need in the area.

Beyond the clinic, pet resource hubs continue to serve the community throughout North Carolina, ensuring ongoing support for pet owners in need.

Sunday, October 13: So far, 169 dogs have been saved via transport, including 16 dogs that just successfully arrived in Massachusetts from Pinellas County, where they are being cared for by Better Together and the Town of Kingston.

The mobile vet clinic at Heart of the Foothills in Rutherford County is set up, staffed, and operational today.

All but one of the cats that the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in New York City took in last week have been adopted!

Saturday, October 12: Operations remain steady as recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene continue. Best Friends has 4–6 staff on-site daily across various warehouses, managing the distribution of supplies to our resource hubs. The mobile veterinary clinic is on-site and being prepped, with operations expected to begin on Monday.

Friday, October 11: Community pet resource hubs are being managed locally, except in Yancey County, where volunteers continue to offer support. Supplies are being distributed steadily at the other hubs, and a volunteer has been dispatched to assist with animal care at Mitchell County Animal Rescue.

The mobile vet clinic is heading to Western North Carolina and is expected to be fully operational by Monday. Our warehouses remain well stocked, and we expect more cat food and litter to arrive next week. Efforts are also underway to source flea and tick medication through our corporate partnerships.

Lastly, we are excited to report the first adoption of a kitten displaced by Hurricane Helene. A kitten named Celia found her forever home at Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in New York City yesterday, marking a bright moment amid the ongoing recovery efforts.

Wednesday, October 9: As recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene transition into a long-term strategy focused on North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, Best Friends is now preparing to support Florida in response to Hurricane Milton, expected to make landfall Thursday morning as one of the strongest storms Florida has seen in recent years.

Regarding Hurricane Helene, we've received additional supplies, including pet food and cat litter, stored at a new Fletcher, North Carolina warehouse to resupply pet resource hubs in affected areas. We're working to secure larger quantities of flea and tick medication and more cat litter and kitten food to meet the increasing demand from local shelters. Financial stipends are being offered to our rescue partners operating these hubs to keep supplies flowing through October.

Additionally, the mobile vet clinic, now operational, will begin rotating through impacted counties this Saturday, with two staff and six volunteers currently on the ground. We are supporting Brother Wolf with a stipend for their mobile clinic and developing a staffing plan to rotate veterinary teams from partner organizations over the next five weeks.

Monday, October 7: On Sunday, October 6, we focused on supporting distribution sites and sending supplies to Yancey County in North Carolina and Mitchell County in Georgia. Four emergency response volunteers are actively assisting Yancey County's community distribution site and public shelter, while two volunteers purchased supplies to restock the distribution hubs. Another volunteer moved between locations, ensuring everything ran smoothly. We now have 10 volunteers and staff in the field, some departing and others arriving throughout the week.

We have continued delivering supplies to Georgia shelters still affected by the storm, focusing on pet food, supplies, and cleaning materials. We'll continue working through requests tomorrow to ensure every shelter gets the support it needs. Efforts are underway to secure another drop site for two tractor-trailers full of supplies. Distribution hubs are working hard to get these resources out to communities and spreading the word about their availability. Active distribution hubs are set up in Rutherford County at Heart of the Foothills Animal Rescue, Buncombe County at the Asheville Vet Office and Esther Neonatal Kitten Alliance, and Yancy County at the public shelter. We've also completed requests for Henderson County, delivering supplies to Blue Ridge High School in Hendersonville. Additionally, airdrops are underway into Chimney Rock and Lake Lure, areas devastated by the storm. Staging sites for additional supplies are set at Catawba Brewing, and we're working on another.

Several transports are scheduled, including movements from Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida to Network partner shelters in New York, Ohio, and Virginia. We are working with various partners in the northeast, Midwest, and southern regions to place more animals in the coming days.

Saturday, October 5: In the past two days, we’ve strengthened our staffing structure to prepare for opening public pet resource hubs in North Carolina. We’ve also established teams to focus on transport logistics, volunteer matching, and data entry.

We’re setting up three public pet resource hubs in Buncombe, Rutherford, and Yancey Counties and a supply distribution hub at a vet office in Buncombe. A trailer with 24 pallets of pet food and supplies is on its way to the Buncombe hub in Asheville. Volunteers and staff have been helping with supply distribution, and we’re ramping up both in-field and virtual support as we prepare to open these hubs to the public.

Two volunteers were sent to Yancey County with essential supplies and will help set up a temporary emergency shelter for stray animals. We’re coordinating with Costco to obtain 40 pallets of pet supplies from central Florida to stock the North Carolina hubs, anticipating long-term community needs. Beyond North Carolina, we’re also providing supplies to southern Georgia, where many communities are still without power and may not have it restored for weeks.

We’re organizing transports from Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia shelters to the Midwest and Northeast, focusing on high-priority shelters like Pinellas County Animal Services in Florida and Washington County Animal Shelter in Tennessee. We’ve also engaged our social channels to seek additional receiving partners for placement needs. 

In Pasco County, Florida, a temporary emergency shelter was set up for displaced pets after the storm. While the Red Cross is assisting with human needs, the county’s shelter team has been stretched thin managing animal care. We’ve assisted by providing staff and volunteers to help with the animal shelter and the emergency facility, giving the local teams much-needed relief. Our teams are also supporting Pasco’s pet reunification efforts by researching online platforms to connect lost pets with their families.
 

Friday, October 4: Best Friends is currently working with rescue partners and shelters to establish pet resource sites in impacted areas, as well as a supply staging site to transport necessary items to more remote communities. Our staff are also identifying veterinarians to provide care at these sites.

We are continuing to support both in the field and with remote efforts. Right now, 20 staff members and volunteers are already on the ground, assisting with rescue operations, securing supplies, and setting up staging areas. More team members will arrive today and throughout the weekend to ramp up our relief efforts.
 

Thursday, October 3: In the past two days, the team has worked hard to organize our three-pronged response in North Carolina, while also building strategic relationships to enhance collaboration. 

We’ve opened communication with key partners, including Bissell, FEMA, and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. Our Emergency Operation Center (EOC) is now set up in Charlotte, NC, with staff coordinating efforts in the field. We are scaling up staffing and volunteer support based on growing supplies and veterinary care needs in affected communities. 

Though our priority is North Carolina, emerging needs in Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida are also being addressed, with efforts underway to organize support in those areas. 

We are working with rescue partners and shelters to establish pet resource sites in Buncombe and Rutherford Counties, as well as a supply staging site to transport necessary items to more remote communities. Staff are identifying veterinarians to provide care at these sites. 

We are also staffing up over the next five days to continue supporting both field and remote efforts, utilizing responses gathered from recent surveys. Additionally, 10 staff members and volunteers are already on the ground, assisting with rescue operations, securing supplies, and setting up staging areas. More team members will arrive soon, although finding lodging in Charlotte remains a challenge. 

Yesterday, several transports moved 27 dogs and 20 cats from North Carolina and Georgia to various locations, including New Hampshire and Ohio. More transports are planned in the coming days, potentially clearing out Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Shelter to help them support other impacted shelters. Several shelters in severely hit areas may not be able to rebuild in the near future, and upcoming transports will continue to focus on shelters in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. 

Starting today, volunteers will assist at Pasco County, Florida’s temporary emergency shelter, helping with animal care as they manage their shelter and support affected communities.

Wednesday, October 2: Ongoing outreach efforts to identify the needs of those impacted by Hurricane Helene continued today, though some communities remain inaccessible due to storm damage.

Our continued focus is on supporting transports, facilitating placement of animals, supply distribution, and animal care. 

As part of these relief efforts, several transports are underway, emergency response volunteers are being deployed, and supply drop-offs are being made to support the affected areas.
 

Tuesday, October 1: Power and connectivity are slowly being restored throughout the impacted areas as Verizon puts up cell towers. With some restored connectivity, we’re starting to hear back from some of the hardest hit areas, letting us know that they are in dire need of support. 

Our current focus is on supporting transports, facilitating placement of animals, supply distribution, and animal care. We're working to provide staffing support in these three areas throughout the impacted region.

Volunteers and staff who are being deployed to the field are bringing in loads of supplies. All deployed vehicles will be loaded with water, pet food, cat litter, generators, cleaning supplies, and human shelf-stable food.
 

Monday, September 30: As we begin to understand the extent of Hurricane Helene’s destruction, Best Friends’ teams are working around the clock to ensure that our staff, partners, and animals in affected areas are safe and well-supported. While the situation is evolving, we’re doing everything possible to react quickly and thoughtfully.

We have staff members in the area and en route, driving supplies to some of our hardest-hit partners.

Emergency response volunteers are arriving to assist our team – including by helping with transports, animal care, distributing supplies and relieving exhausted shelter workers as needed.

Transport efforts are also underway to move animals out of harm’s way and we're working to help place animals in need.

Logistics are a challenge because fuel is scarce and lodging is difficult to secure. We’re getting creative and working on securing accommodations for our team, including VRBOs, Airbnbs, and trailers.

 

As we find out more, we will update this space. You can also check our social media channels for information.

Visit Best Friends’ Facebook page for updates and to follow our work on the ground. Working with our local partners, we are committed to providing support and safety to the animals in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.