Jacksonville, FL — It's been a tough few weeks for Clay County Animal Care and Control in the wake of Hurricane Irma, but they've finally been able to reopen most of their main facility.
During the storm, Dr. Jennifer Broadhurst, the shelter medical director, says they experienced flooding like never before.
"Monday morning [September 11], once the winds had died down enough for our director to come out and check out the facility, when she arrived, the water was at the doors of some of the buildings, and actually already in our back dog building. In the first hour that she and some of our staff members were here, the water levels rose pretty quickly. So, we actually had it about chest high on some of the dogs in the back building. Then in our cat cave, where we house all of our cats, the water actually was in all the bottom cages," explains Broadhurst.
After closing their doors for more than a week, they've been able to open up most of their main facility again, but Broadhurst says their 'cat cave' is still closed due to some extensive damage.
Though, she tells us they had made preparations to evacuate the animals, just in case, which they eventually did.
"Our cat cave is actually in a building that's a converted house, so it's not like our dog kennels that are built for the weather and being hosed down. It's drywall and siding and everything, so it suffered a lot of damage and had some mold in it, so we have it being worked on right now and can't house cats in there," says Broadhurst.
In the meantime, Broadhurst says they're asking any adopters or foster parents to come forward and help house the cats and kittens.
If you're unable to adopt or foster, Clay County Animal Care and Control is also accepting financial donations.
They also have an Amazon wish list, you can buy specific items from HERE.