CURRITUCK COUNTY, N.C. (WTVR) – Workers at the Currituck County Animal Shelter, which houses nearly 200 cats and dogs, are breathing a sigh of relief after the community raised more than enough money to replace the facility’s stolen emergency generators.
WTKR reports that staffers said the generators were stolen at the worst possible time — right before hurricane season.
In fact, the shelter lost power for about 15 minutes because of Tropical Storm Andrea. Workers said if that outage has been longer, they could have lost several of the smaller animals.
“We could lose animals through lack of being able to keep them cool enough, and so they would have trouble breathing,” said Ginger Sikes from the shelter. “They could hyperventilate if we`re trying to move them to another location and out of harm’s way.”
Sikes said the animals in the back of the trailer could suffocate within in a matter of hours.
The generators are another added cost for the shelter, which is the middle of raising money to build a larger facility.
However, once the story aired on WTKR, a local radio station asked listeners to take action. Within less than 24 hours, callers raised enough for two new generators. And the shelter received $5,000 in donations.
“Without the generosity we have had from the community for getting the new generators we would not have the air to breathe that we will now have when a hurricane comes through and we can’t open doors and windows,” said Sikes.
Sikes also said donations poured in by phone and from folks who walked in to drop off money.
