How to Help Animals Affected by Hurricane Milton & Hurricane Helene
When a hurricane hits, it’s easy to forget that animals are often the most vulnerable victims. Whether they're pets, livestock, or wildlife, animals need help during and after a storm like Hurricane Helene. They can get lost, injured, or left behind in the chaos, and many end up without food, water, or shelter. Fortunately, there are many ways we can step in and help.
In this guide, we’ll cover some practical ways you can assist animals affected by Hurricanes and share important resources to get you started.
1. Rescue and Emergency Sheltering
After a hurricane, many animals are left stranded or trapped, and immediate rescue efforts are crucial. Emergency shelters also become overcrowded quickly, so there’s a constant need for space, supplies, and volunteers.
How You Can Help: If you live near an affected area, consider volunteering with local shelters or animal rescue organizations. They often need extra hands to transport animals, provide temporary shelter, and distribute supplies. If you're farther away, you can support these efforts by donating money or supplies.
Donate Supplies: Shelters and rescues need pet food, crates, blankets, and basic first-aid supplies like bandages and flea treatments. Even things like towels and cleaning supplies can make a huge difference.
Volunteer in Person: Some groups coordinate rescue operations to get animals out of dangerous situations, like flooded homes or downed power lines. Many national organizations have teams that deploy to disaster zones, and they often look for local volunteers to help with sheltering and care.
ASPCA Disaster Response
National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC)
Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
2. Donate or Fundraise for Emergency Aid
Most rescue operations rely on donations to provide animals with food, medical care, and safe places to stay. After a disaster, many local shelters are overwhelmed and in desperate need of resources.
How You Can Help: You can donate directly to animal rescue organizations, or if you want to get your community involved, set up a fundraiser on platforms like GoFundMe or Facebook. Every dollar helps provide critical services like vet care, food, and emergency transportation.
Sponsor an Animal’s Care: Some organizations allow you to sponsor the care of a specific animal, covering their food, shelter, and medical needs until they are reunited with their owners or adopted.
RedRover – Provides emergency financial aid for veterinary care and boarding.
PetSmart Charities Disaster Relief – Supports shelters and rescues with emergency grants and supplies.
3. Fostering or Adopting Displaced Animals
After a hurricane, many animals become separated from their families or end up in shelters that are too full. Foster homes are a lifesaver because they provide temporary space for animals while shelters work to reunite them with their families or find new homes.
How You Can Help: Fostering an animal is one of the best ways to help after a disaster. It frees up space in shelters and gives the animals a more comfortable, calm environment during a stressful time. If you’re able to adopt, even better! You could provide a forever home for an animal who’s lost everything.
Check With Local Shelters: Many shelters and rescues need temporary fosters after disasters to handle the sudden influx of animals. Contact your local shelter or check websites like Petfinder to see if they’re looking for foster families.
Best Friends Animal Society – Offers information on fostering and adoption.
Petfinder – Lists pets in need of adoption or fostering.
GreaterGood.org – Supports shelters and helps coordinate foster programs.
4. Support Wildlife Affected by the Hurricane
It’s not just pets that are affected by hurricanes—wildlife also suffers from destroyed habitats, polluted water, and a lack of food sources. Birds, fish, and small mammals are especially vulnerable after storms.
How You Can Help: Wildlife rehabilitation centers often need donations of food, supplies, and funds to care for injured or displaced animals. You can also volunteer your time to help with habitat restoration projects, such as replanting native trees or cleaning up debris that threatens wildlife.
Be Careful with Injured Wildlife: If you come across injured wildlife, contact a local wildlife rescue organization for help. Don’t try to care for them yourself unless you’re trained, as wild animals can carry diseases and might need specialized care.
National Wildlife Federation – Focuses on protecting wildlife habitats affected by natural disasters.
Wildlife Conservation Society – Supports wildlife rescue and habitat restoration.
The Audubon Society – Protects birds and their habitats, including recovery efforts after storms.
5. Provide Veterinary Care
Injured or sick animals need veterinary care, but during a disaster, local veterinary clinics may be flooded, damaged, or overwhelmed. Many animals require emergency treatment for wounds, dehydration, or disease.
How You Can Help: If you’re a veterinarian or vet tech, you can volunteer your services with organizations like the ASPCA or the Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT), which send medical teams to disaster zones. If you're not a vet, you can still help by donating to funds that cover veterinary expenses for displaced animals.
American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) – Provides grants to support veterinary care during disasters.
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) – Supports wildlife and domestic animal rescue efforts, including emergency veterinary care.
6. Spread the Word on Social Media
If you can’t donate or volunteer, raising awareness is another powerful way to help. By sharing information about shelters in need, animals up for adoption, or fundraising campaigns, you can help connect more people to the cause. Social media has a huge reach and can spread the message faster than many traditional methods.
How You Can Help: Use your social media platforms to share urgent needs from shelters, highlight adoption opportunities for displaced animals, or direct your followers to organizations accepting donations. Creating or sharing posts with relevant hashtags like #HurricaneHeleneRelief or #AnimalRescue can help increase visibility.
Petfinder – Lists pets in need of adoption or fostering, which you can share with your network.
Humane Society Twitter and ASPCA Twitter – Follow these organizations for real-time updates and share their content to reach a larger audience.
7. Shop to Support Relief Efforts
Many companies and nonprofits offer ways to support disaster relief by shopping through special programs. Some businesses donate a percentage of proceeds from certain products to animal rescue organizations, while others sell specific disaster-relief products with all proceeds going toward animal welfare.
How You Can Help: You can shop through programs like Amazon Smile or look for retailers offering disaster-relief donations. A portion of your purchases will go toward shelters and rescues working in the affected areas.
Amazon Smile – When you shop using Amazon Smile, you can select a charity like the ASPCA or Humane Society, and Amazon will donate a portion of your purchase.
Shop for Good at GreaterGood – Purchase items like clothing or pet supplies, and proceeds go toward disaster relief for animals.
Even if you're far away, your support can still make a huge difference. By donating, fundraising, spreading awareness, or shopping for good causes, you can help the animals affected by Hurricane Helene recover and find the care they need. Every effort counts, and the impact of collective support is immense when it comes to rescuing and rehabilitating animals in the aftermath of disasters.
Helping animals after a disaster like Hurricane Helene isn’t just about rescue operations—it's about ongoing support. From donating supplies and funds to volunteering your time, there are many ways you can get involved. Every action, no matter how small, can make a huge difference in the lives of animals affected by the storm.
Whether you're able to foster a displaced pet, donate to a wildlife recovery organization, or simply spread the word about the needs of animals after a disaster, you can make an impact. Use the resources listed above to find the best way for you to help, and remember, the recovery process for these animals will continue long after the storm has passed.
By getting involved, you're not only helping animals survive—you’re giving them a second chance at a safe, happy life.
