Shelter flooded with water and mud, then with community’s help

Posted 7/16/19

Elfriede Milburn, president of Caring for Powell Animals, was near exhaustion as she looked around at the damage. And Monday had just begun.

More than a foot of water and mud streamed into the …

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Shelter flooded with water and mud, then with community’s help

Posted

Elfriede Milburn, president of Caring for Powell Animals, was near exhaustion as she looked around at the damage. And Monday had just begun.

More than a foot of water and mud streamed into the animal shelter during Sunday afternoon’s storm.

Milburn wasn’t as worried about the loss of supplies as she was concerned with the monumental cleanup before her. It might take weeks to recover “unless we get help,” she said Monday morning.

“We lost some cat and dog food, but none of that is important. We can get food,” Milburn said. “What I need is help. That is all.”

Fortunately, news of the need for assistance was quickly shared around the community, including by social media. Many volunteers and businesses answered the call for help, including Chris Pelletier, owner of Heart Mountain Hearing Center who sent money, some labor and pizzas, and Admiral Beverages, which sent pop and water for those working in the heat.

Milburn and volunteer Barb Muecke were all smiles by lunch, as the parking lot filled beyond capacity and many volunteers parked on North Street and walked in. “It’s amazing,” Muecke said.

It was a far cry from the morning, when only the sound of Milburn, Muecke and one other volunteer echoed through the halls as they sloshed through the cinderblock building, trying to clean.

First they needed to remove wheelbarrows-full of mud and clear drains.

“It’s draining slowly but it’s totally plugged in here,” Milburn said.

Food and cat litter was ruined. Water filled containers of toys and soaked beds and supplies for animals with sticky mud.

The water line from the flood-stained walls reached up more than 16 inches in rooms filled with dog kennels and supplies. Cats took up temporary residence anywhere they could reach that was dry. One clung to the top of a door and wouldn’t come down until water levels dropped, said Muecke.

Milburn was at the facility until 1:30 a.m. Monday trying to mitigate damage and care for stressed animals. She was back at it just a few hours later, a look of dispair in her eyes.

“I’m so tired I can’t even see straight,” Milburn said.

By midday, however, she was reenergized by the sight of the community turning out to help. But there is much to be done before everything at the shelter is back in order. While dozens of people were helping out, yet another dog was brought in to be processed and housed.

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