Joplin One Year Later: Both Humans And Pets Are On The Mend

Photo by Jim Spellman, courtesy of CNN. This cross from St. Mary's Church was miraclulously left standing and will soon be part of a city park.

One year ago today, one of the worst  tornado's in U.S. history smacked Joplin, Missouri, leveling a full third of the town and killing 161 people. And many companion, farm and exotic animals lost their lives or were injured, not just from the over 200 mile an hour winds, but from being tossed from their homes and separated from their caregivers for hours, days, and even weeks after the twister hit.

Although many groups helped to shelter and tend to the injured animals, the ASPCA was one of the first groups on the scene to coordinate the animal rescue effort. In fact, Tim Rickey, the Senior Director for Field Investigations and Response for the ASPCA was one of the first on the scene early the following morning, tending to animal rescue efforts in what remained of his hometown of Joplin.

                           Photo courtesy of the ASPCA

But from devastation often comes some glimmer of good news and hope for the future: The ASPCA says that it has "...learned many lessons about disaster animal sheltering and we're actively using them in our responses today. " And the ASPCA and other rescue groups and federal agencies like FEMA, are using this knowledge to improve the safety of animals nationwide. Together they're helping to ensure that at the very least, more American communities include the protection of animals in their disaster plans.

Our heartfelt thanks to the ASPCA, the Humane Society of the United States and so many other rescue groups, who have worked tirelessly during natural disasters and continuously throughout the year to protect animals.

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