Anti-Cruelty Crew Battles Toxic Flood Waters in Tennessee

When disaster strikes, it is the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response Team’s first priority to get to the scene to save as many animals as possible. At the height of the recent flooding in Tennessee, the team navigated swift water currents to pull struggling animals from floodwaters, out of trees and from dilapidated homes.

On May 8, a family that had been forced to leave more than a dozen pets behind  placed a desperate call to the local authorities. “The family had been able to move the animals to higher ground before they were evacuated,” reports Allison Cardona, the Response Team’s Director of Operations. “But this was almost four days prior, and we had no idea what condition we would find the animals in.”

Aided by a powerful and fully equipped search and rescue boat, the Team set off for the home in question, battling hazardous materials and toxic waters. The water itself was a deadly soup, reports Kyle Held, Midwest Director of ASPCA Field Investigations and Response. “It’s polluted by sewage, kerosene, garbage, bleach and other hazardous chemicals—and the toxins are everywhere.”

The team arrived at the scene to discover a dozen chickens, a peacock and a goat huddled on dry land that was rapidly shrinking. After taking precautions, they successfully secured the animals on the boat, and then saved a small Tabby cat stuck on top of a trailer engulfed in water.