Steve Bordi and Sharon Wilkinson breaking camp to return
to NJ
Rows
of kennels at the Lamar /Dixon Expo center at base camp
Our
team from left to right Steve Bordi, Camden City- Thomas
Baals, Camden County- Sharon Wilkinson, Bernards Twp.-
Joanne Mancuso, Parsipany- Michael Melchionne, Stafford
Twp- Willie Cirone, Mt Olive
|
Officer
Sharon Wilkinson of Bernards Twp helping a dog enjoy
its freedom after 27 days of starvation, dehrydration,
and no human intervention
Officer
Michael Melchionne of Stafford Twp. with residents who
refused to leave. Valuable information about the storm
and days after were learn from them. We were told that
they had just been praying to God for food and water
for their animals when we drove up and gave them several
cases of water and 300 lbs of dog food. To quote our
new friends, "Praise the Lord, Its a miracle"
|
Just
some of the days rescues
Officer
Wilkinson checks on some of NJ's rescues. The HSUS did
a FABULOUS job at keeping the records straight and maintain
the animals in humane conditions under extrodinary circumstances
|
Officer
Joanne Manacuso of Parsipany, Officer Willie Willie
Cirone of Mt Olive, and Officer Sharon Wilkinson of
Bernards Twp. sign in some of New jersey's rescues well
past 10:30 PM. Their day started at briefing at 5:30
AM
|
Officer
Melchionne of Stafford Twp. sooths a dog his team heard
crying in a home and rescued after 29 days of no food,
water, or human intervention.
|
The
mud was several feet deep in some areas. Passage was
at time very difficult
Devastion
was everywhere
|
A
typical scene on every street
The
bugs were thick and some were as big as chipmunks.
|
A
typical scene, street after street
More
of the same
|
New
Jersey ACO's make their way to the next rescue.
Officer
Bordi and Officer Wilkinson demonstrate their ambassador
atributes and calm a local resident who survived the
worst. Alvin first told us "He wasn't going to
let a bunch of NJ people come down here and take his
dogs" and then he followed it up with "I'll
take you's all on and it aint gonna be pretty".
Officer
Bordi and Wilkinson worked their magic and soon had
Alvin showing us where other dogs were trapped!
|
Boats
were miles from water in the midle of interstate highways
|
One
street after another
Same
scene in another parish
|
Another
boat on a highway miles from the water
An
all too coomon site. A dog that apparently drowned
|
A
difficult capture, Officer Bordi calms an injured dog
before taking to triage for medical attention
Note
the steel enclosures that had to be entered prior to
rescue. This senario was all too common on many houses.
Also note the pride of the NJ ACO's with each rescue.
|
NJ
ACO rescue
Another
NJ ACO rescue. After many other failed attemps by other
rescuers
|
The
roof really did blow off the Superdome
National guards patrol the lawless streets
of N'Orleans
|
NJ
ACO's are led to a home by US Border Patrol Officers
where they believed a cat was trapped inside.
Officer Bordi and Officer Baals share
a moment with our friends from the US Border Patrol
|
Officer
Melchionne and Officer Wilkinson attend to the needs
of this cocker trapped for 27 days. Note the expired
dog at the foot of the steps. Our officers were dispatched
to this address for a dog left by the owner. Upon seeing
the deceased animal on the steps, it was initially believed
that the dog we were called to rescue, expired.
Our officers decided to enter the home anyway. Behind
the last water swelled door Melchionne shouldered his
way through, he discovered this emaciated cocker. Had
it not been for the intensive search and rescue effort
of our entire team, this animal would have surely succumbed
to dehydration and or starvation.
|
A
typical house that needed to be searched
NJ ACO's were called to this house by
other rescue teams as they were aware of skills of our
reptile expert Officer Bordi. Officer Melchionne assisted
Bordi at this location in the rescue of 3 boa constricters,
1 python, 1 monitor lizard, and a taranulua
|
Officer
Willie Cirone and Officer Wlikinson go over the address
and mapping logistics prior to starting our daily rescues
Christopher Alderson, a
veterinary assistant from the Riverside California
SPCA, our friend and fellow
search and rescue team member is holding a terrier which
was rescued after 30 days. Our New Jersey team stopped
to help Riverside gain entry into a home which was difficult
to enter. We'd like to say here and now that the County
of Riverside, California's response to Katrina and Rita
was phenominal. They sent several teams over several
weeks. Their professionalism and expertise was quickly
noted by our team. We, the NJCACOA, would like to comend
ALL of their employees for a job "WELL DONE"
|
Officer
Wilkinson checks animals into the triage center at Delgado
College in N'Orleans
|
This
dog clung to a ceiling fan for 6 days before the water
receeded.
The
room where the chow mix clung to the ceiling fan for
6 days. Note the water line
|
|
|
