RedRover Responders update: Oklahoma tornado situation

Beginning Monday afternoon, as the deadly tornadoes struck the Oklahoma City area, RedRover Emergency Services Manager Beth Gammie has been reaching out to offer RedRover Responders‘ support to our partners at the Central Oklahoma Humane Society, as well as the Animal Resource Center (which is sheltering people and animals) and other Oklahoma rescues and shelters.

In any natural disaster where animals are in crisis, RedRover actively monitors conditions on the ground to assess whether our assistance is needed: through direct outreach to affected agencies and communities, social media reports, contacts with local volunteers and reaching out to partners in the area.

At this early stage, local authorities and agencies are conducting search and rescue and assessing both human and animal needs. Working within the FEMA Incident Command System, RedRover Responders stands ready to deploy to Oklahoma when requested by appropriate authorities.

Additionally, as a founding member of the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC), RedRover is participating in NARSC’s daily conference calls with other animal rescue and sheltering leaders, receiving up-to-date information on animal welfare needs and coordinating with animal welfare partners to provide support for victims of the Oklahoma tornado.

In the meantime, RedRover has compiled an animal resource list for those affected by the tornadoes: RedRover.org/Oklahoma

Part of the resources available include RedRover Relief grants to provide financial assistance for veterinary care to animals injured in this storm. Please share this resource list widely and repost it via Facebook.

At this time we do not know when we will begin accepting donations that we can directly earmark toward the animal victims of this horrific tornado; we are unable to earmark donations for the Oklahoma response until RedRover Responders receives an official request from authorities to deploy. Until then, you can help provide a clean, temporary shelter and loving care and attention for animals rescued from future crisis situations like tornados and floods or large-scale cases of neglect and abuse by contributing to our Emergency Response Fund: RedRover.org/EmergencyFund

Thank you, as always, for your personal commitment to helping animals in need.