Tuesday, October 15: More transports are being scheduled in hard-hit communities on the Gulf Coast of Florida to move animals from storm-affected areas. A dog transport from Manatee County is scheduled to leave today, bound for Thomasville Humane and Best Friends Humane Society  in Georgia. Additionally, a cat transport from Desoto County departs today, with Troy Animal Rescue.

Eleven staff and volunteers have been deployed. Two volunteers are assisting at the Humane Society of Sarasota County. Meanwhile, three staff members and one volunteer are supporting the Pinellas County Emergency Shelter, with an additional five staff members stationed there. We are also beginning our support in Pasco County today.

Monday, October 14: The transport team is currently traveling from Atlanta to Florida, where they will deliver generators to the SPCA of Tampa Bay to support their ongoing recovery efforts. They are actively working to arrange several additional animal transports from Manatee, Desoto, and other counties early this week.

In Sarasota and Pinellas County, 11 staff members and volunteers have been deployed to assist in various shelters. Five volunteers are supporting operations at the Humane Society of Sarasota County, while one volunteer and two staff members are helping at the Pinellas County temporary shelter in Clearwater. Additionally, Pinellas County Animal Services has two staff members and one volunteer offering their support.

Sunday, October 13: So far, 252 animals have been saved via transport. We continue to support the transport of animals out of the affected area. Thanks to our partnerships, even more dogs are scheduled to leave Manatee County on Tuesday.

Additionally, we've identified more organizations to assist with transport through collaboration with the State of Florida and the University of Florida. We're currently contacting these organizations, including Osceola County Animal Services, Bradford County Animal Shelter, Animal Welfare League of Port Charlotte, and Cat Depot.

Saturday, October 12: Yesterday's efforts focused on establishing strong communication with our partners in Florida following Hurricane Milton. Best Friends has coordinated with the University of Florida and state authorities to assess needs.

We have identified a need for approximately 20 personnel through October 22. Staff and volunteers have been assigned to Sarasota, Pinellas, Pasco, and Citrus counties, with most expected to deploy next week. Local volunteers are also being identified for seven-day shifts. Additionally, a veterinarian team has been identified for Desoto County to conduct health checks for dogs, with Best Friends coordinating the connection.

Our partner Blue Buffalo continues working on securing warehousing for supplies. We currently have 27 pallets of water, which will be stored alongside Blue Buffalo supplies. Best Friends is working with the New York City Mayor’s Alliance to secure additional donations, including cat litter, large dog crates, and over-the-counter flea and tick medications.

Thirty-five cats left early this morning from the Humane Society of Sarasota County to Atlanta, with plans to continue to northern partners including the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in New York City. Other requests are coming in and we are working this weekend on obtaining additional receiving partners from across the country.

Friday, October 11: Yesterday, efforts focused on checking in with Florida shelters impacted by Hurricane Milton. Best Friends connected with many organizations along the Gulf Coast to assess how they and their teams were faring after the storm passed through the state. On Wednesday, overnight reports indicated multiple tornadoes, and several shelters experienced significant flooding, with staff and animals sheltering in place to ride out the storm.

One of our key partners, the Humane Society of Sarasota County, lost power and is currently running on a generator. With over 100 animals onsite and more in foster care, they urgently needed assistance. Today, four volunteers will be onsite to assist with daily care needs and prepare animals for future transport. Additional staff and volunteers are expected to arrive over the weekend to provide further support.

Meanwhile, our partner Blue Buffalo is working on arranging a delivery of supplies to assist operations in Milton, with warehousing being coordinated in Jacksonville to stage for further support. Regarding transport operations, a scheduled transport will relocate dogs from Pinellas County Animal Services to Massachusetts today. Additionally, we provided a stipend to Save Our Cats and Kittens (SOCKS) to cover transport costs for picking up cats from shelters in the affected areas along Florida's Gulf Coast.

Thursday, October 10: Hurricane Milton made landfall last night, October 9, in Siesta Key, Florida, as a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 110 mph. Southeastern Florida experienced multiple tornadoes, one of which struck the property of our partner, Furry Friends in Jupiter, Florida. This tornado overturned their transport buses and damaged some buildings. Fortunately, all staff and animals are safe and accounted for, and a plan is in place to get those animals transported out of harm's way by another organization today.

The Best Friends Emergency Response Operations (ER Ops) team plans to deploy volunteers and staff to Jacksonville and Orlando to provide much-needed animal care support to our shelter partners, including the Humane Society of Sarasota and Pasco County Animal Services. The goal is to send teams of five emergency response volunteers and Best Friends staff for up to seven days to alleviate the burden on exhausted team members.

Wednesday, October 9: As Hurricane Milton approaches, our teams have been actively supporting Florida shelters. Pasco County activated five emergency shelters, and despite the challenges of canceled flights, our team helped transport special needs animals across central Florida. We've also moved 26 dogs from Pinellas County to our Atlanta location for temporary housing, with additional dogs heading to Massachusetts. Working with Humane Society of the United States and the University of Florida, we secured a flight from West Palm Beach to transport animals to safety at Alaqua Animal Refuge's temporary shelter. Over the past few days, we've worked tirelessly to offer supplies, provide transport, and connect shelters with partners to ensure the safety of animals.

A key challenge in the coming days will be securing placement opportunities for the hundreds of animals needing assistance. We've reached out to our Network partners offering grants to organizations that can take in at least 20 cats or 10 dogs from affected shelters, and we're organizing a fee-waived adoption event to create space. Each adopted animal will receive a stipend from Best Friends, and we're asking partners to take in animals from Florida in return. Additionally, discussions are underway to explore the feasibility of large-scale air transport to expedite animal placement opportunities with partners in regional areas.

Best Friends has been working closely with the following organizations in preparation of Hurricane Milton’s arrival: Pasco County Animal Services, Highlands County Animal Services, Pinellas County Animal Services, Okeechobee Animal Services, City of Clewiston Animal Services, Seminole Tribe of Florida, St. Francis Animal Rescue (Venice, Florida), SPCA Suncoast, and Animal Welfare League of Port Charlotte for the care and safety of Florida’s pets.

Monday, October 7, 2024: Preparations are underway as Hurricane Milton, a potentially Category 3 or 4 storm, approaches Florida's west central coastline.

Multiple dogs from Pinellas County will be moved to Best Friends' Atlanta partner facility for temporary care until they can be relocated to receiving shelters. Jacksonville Humane Society is also stepping up to house additional dogs from other shelters, with Best Friends coordinating volunteers for animal care.

The Humane Society of Sarasota County will be taking in all animals from Highlands County Animal Control, with Best Friends providing pet food and litter to support their efforts and restock public food pantries affected by previous storms.

In a state-wide collaboration, a temporary emergency animal shelter is being set up at Alaqua Animal Refuge in Walton County, with stipends and support from Best Friends and other partners to help shelters move animals out of harm's way. Additionally, Best Friends is working with local communities to find safe indoor locations for animals and provide essential supplies like crates, generators, and pet food.

Best Friends will continue to assist shelters with preparedness and recovery efforts in collaboration with the state of Florida.

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.