Area animal shelters unite to help Amory Humane Society during disaster

AMORY, Miss. (WCBI) – One of the buildings heavily damaged in the tornado that struck Amory Friday night was the city’s Animal Shelter.

People weren’t the only ones affected by the storm. Area animals, especially those waiting on new homes felt its impact too.

But they haven’t been forgotten in the recovery efforts.

“There’s concrete broken. The kennels were pushed to the edge and all of the dogs were fine. Unexplainable,” said Leigh Ann Hubbard, Amory Humane Society.

Some would say it is a miracle.

Amory’s animal shelter was among the buildings damaged and destroyed by Friday night’s tornado.

Even before the storm had passed, the director of the Amory Humane Society went to check on her dogs.

She found all 60 of them loose from their kennels but unharmed.

“They drove out here about nine minutes away. It took them about 20 minutes to get here and they couldn’t get to the shelter they had to stop here in Jack’s parking lot and they ran to the shelter for about a mile thinking it was going to be wiped out,” said Hubbard.

The shelter was no longer fit to hold the animals, but they weren’t homeless for long, other area shelters immediately stepped in to help.

Oktibbeha, West Point, and Tupelo Animal Shelters opened their kennels to those animals and within the next 12 hours, they had all been safely moved.

Since Friday, animals displaced by the storm have also been showing up. So far, the need to temporarily house them is being met quickly.

AHS will still need a long-term solution, but they are grateful to all those who have stepped up to help.

“I am amazed and grateful at home many people across the country across this area who have reached out that have been concerned about the animals and has done anything they can to help,” said Hubbard.

If you would like to donate, you can go to AmoryShelter.com

For 24/7 news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter