The Galveston County Daily News

GALVESTON — Cindy Goodwin went to the Galveston Island Humane Society makeshift shelter on Tuesday before she went to see what Hurricane Ike had left of her home.

Stormy, her black and white tabby, was roaming around outside as her family prepared to evacuate. When family members were ready to leave, they couldn’t find her, Goodwin said.

“But she made it through Rita, so we’re hoping she’s OK,” Goodwin said, tearing up and putting her hand over her mouth.

Although shelter volunteers had registered about 30 cats, Stormy wasn’t there.

Goodwin was one of the many people who came across the causeway for the first time Tuesday when Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas allowed residents to come home and check on their property.

Several residents had come to the shelter, at 53rd Street and Avenue S, but like Goodwin, no one had been reunited with any of the 88 animals that were waiting in cages.

Some of the cats and dogs had collars, tags and even microchips, but many of them had no identifying marks to help reunite them with their owners.

“It’s so sad,” said Caroline Dorsett, animal shelter director. “People just didn’t take the hurricane seriously.”

Many residents left their pets with what they thought was enough food and water to get them through a few days. But when the storm’s devastation was much worse than people expected and recovery efforts dragged on, panicked residents started calling the city’s emergency operations center to ask police officers to check on their animals.

Volunteers set up a temporary shelter in the police substation, bringing trailers full of food, cages, leashes and medicine with them. Truckloads of supplies continued to arrive throughout the afternoon.

By 4 p.m. Tuesday, police officers and 23 volunteers, searching on foot across the island, had collected 82 animals. They were rescued from rooftops, inside homes and roaming the streets, officials said.

Dog cages lined the building’s hallways. Some dogs barked continually; others just lay in their cages looking shell-shocked.

People wanting someone to check on their animals should call 713-435-2990.

With almost 100 animals collected in just one day, Dorsett said she was worried the makeshift shelter would quickly run out of room.

Volunteers also were looking for donations, Nandlal said. Cash is most needed right now because the volunteer network can buy the necessary supplies more quickly than the average person.