Kittens, pups rescued from Hurricane Florence’s path need new homes in Atlanta
Hurricane Florence spared the Georgia coast but has wreaked deadly havoc on the Carolinas to our north. More than 30 deaths have been attributed to the enormous, slow-moving storm. Wilmington, on the coast of North Carolina, has been rendered an inaccessible island and officials warn the worst isn't over in many areas, as rivers continue to crest.
The Atlanta Humane Society, as it has done in disasters past, has stepped up to help find new homes for animals displaced by the disaster. More than 100 animals, including this three-legged dog, were brought from Houston to Atlanta after Hurricane Harvey struck last year. Dozens came here after Hurricane Maria pounded Puerto Rico. Now nearly 50 animals saved from Florence's path have come to town and need new homes.
Adoptions happen at either the main location at 981 Howell Mill Road NW in west Midtown, Atlanta; or the Mansell Campus at 1565 Mansell Road in Alpharetta. For information about adopting the animals spared from Florence's wrath (or others ready to join your family), call 404-875- 5331 or see atlantahumane.org.


The Atlanta Humane Society serves more than 30,000 animals and places more than 11,000 in forever homes each year.
Coverage from the Carolinas has included dramatic animal rescues in addition to the tales of residents’ struggles. Dogs left locked in a backyard pen were rescued just in time by a group of journalists:
Rescued six dogs in Leland, NC, after the owner LEFT THEM locked in an outdoor cage that filled with flood water that was rapidly rising.
— Marcus DiPaola (@marcusdipaola) September 16, 2018
We got them out, but by the time we left, the water was so high that they would have drowned. BRING YOUR PETS WITH YOU! #HurricaneFlorence pic.twitter.com/tRibGxCjXy
The U.S. Coast Guard reached these beagles just in time, too:
The @uscoastguard just rescued a couple trapped in a trailer and about a dozen dogs in Columbus County, N.C. The dogs were swimming and barely above water when we got there. We ended up with a boat full of beagles! Check out the full rescue here https://t.co/MWGR8YyIu2 @USATODAY pic.twitter.com/jW34ON470J
— Christal Hayes (@Journo_Christal) September 16, 2018
And storm evacuee Robert Simmons Jr. and his kitten were captured in this iconic photo from The Raleigh News & Observer's Andrew Carter. The kitten's name, as Carter's story notes, is Survivor.
Meet Robert Simmons. Was stuck in his house since last night, when floodwaters began to rise in New Bern. A boat came and rescued him just now. He was sad to leave his father but left with his kitten hugging his neck. Cat’s name: Survivor, Simmons said. #HurricaneFlorence2018 pic.twitter.com/vRR3lANDJe
— Andrew Carter (@_andrewcarter) September 14, 2018

