DU Animal lovers:Time to put pressure on NO to allow people in for pets?

[lindisfarne]

I'm wondering if it's time to put pressure on NO to allow people in for a few hours to get their pets. People may have left water and food, and it may be running out by now.

Animal rescue agencies are doing their best but can't do anywhere near everything. I think we need to start calling the governor and the city of New Orleans and put the pressure on them to allow people in to get pets. Otherwise, thousands upon thousands of pets may die.

Additionally, if people can get in to get their pets, it will ease the pressure of matching people to their pets later on.

This also requires a media blast.

The situation in NO is no worse than in some other parishes which have let people return for short amounts of time.

This page has a huge number of media email addresses: http://www.democraticrenewal.us/resources/mediacontacts.htm

Governor of Louisiana:
http://www.gov.state.la.us/govemail.asp
1-866.310.7617 Facsimile: [phone] (not sure if these #s work)

Contact information for Mayor Nagin (New Orleans) is tough to come by; if anyone has phone/email/fax info., please post it.
We probably have to get his attention via the media.
New Orleans City Hall Operator: [phone] (don't know if it works)

Here are some of the emails from the link above (easier to cut and paste); I quickly picked out the ones I thought were most appropriate but I'm sure I missed someone; please add.

[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

Many more media contacts at http://www.hua.org/Hurricanecoverage.html

NOMINATE THIS FOR "GREATEST" SO WE CAN DRAW ATTENTION TO IT!

Here's a sample letter to send:
I am writing regarding the situation regarding pets in New Orleans. Residents MUST be allowed back in, if only for a few hours, to rescue their own pets. Many residents left their pets in their homes and the food and water they left had run out or will soon run out.

The animal rescue organizations are doing their best but they simply cannot do it all. They cannot do anything near all of it. If New Orleans does not allow residents in IMMEDIATELY, residents will come back to find their beloved pets dead. Additionally, by allowing residents back in to get their own pets, it will greatly ease the task of matching pets to owners.

Other parishes which were affected as much as New Orleans have allowed residents back in. There is no legitimate reason to keep New Orleans residents from getting in, getting their pets, and getting out. A Louisiana epidemiologist stated on WWL-TV late last week that as long as you don’t drink the water, it’s not that dangerous, and if it touches your skin, you need to wash it thoroughly and watch it for any possible infection. The water quite simply does not create that great of a danger if people are in New Orleans for only a few hours.

For families who have lost much, rescuing their pet will alleviate so much pain and give them so much joy.

Please help us get this message to Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco. They have had to make many difficult decisions in the last week and a half, but they must step back and consider what it means to pet owners to be reunited with their pets. The residents of New Orleans will be very greatful.

[niyad]

1. EVERYONE needs to read the DU article "what a competent government

would have done"

[friesianrider]

2. YES.

How many died because they could not & would not leave their pets? These people have lost enough - losing their beloved pets on top of material things is unacceptable.

[lindisfarne]

3. Mayor Nagin contact info: 1 [phone] (may be difficult to get thru)

[Lecky]

4. kick n/t

[lindisfarne]

5. Please keep blasting the media on this!

[shireen]

6. can someone help me understand the situation better?

According to vetmed.lsu.edu , some people have been allowed back into certain parts of the Greater New Orleans areas for several days now. What does this mean exactly, "greater New Orleans"? Does it include the city itself?

How much of the city is safe for residents to return to pick up pets? Would they need armed escorts?

This is really sickening ....

[lindisfarne]

7. The authorities are trying hard to not let people into NO(city). Some have

managed to get past the authorities - it's a matter of luck and ingenuity. Thus, the call to the authorities to let residents back in: pets will die otherwise. This needs to be allowed IMMEDIATELY.

Most of the parishes outside of NO have let residents in or are currently letting residents in; just a few still aren't. There's no reason to not let people into many areas of the city of NO, for long enough to get pets.

bestfriends.org is also calling for this. Please blast the media!

[shireen]

8. contact White House

Excerpt from bestfriends.org forum, posted by someone today:
I was told by someone in Homeland Security yesterday, that believe it or not, the way to get this solved is to have 1000 people call the White House to demand that the military go in and save these animals.

Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: [phone]
[e-mail]

[Robert Oak]

9. read the lie from FEMA I received

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4738028

[shireen]

10. Baltimore Sun: [e-mail] n/t

[shireen]

11. media link

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=111

[shireen]

12. additional media (from fair.org)

ABC News: [e-mail]
Nightline/Ted Koppel: [e-mail]

CBS News
CBS Evening News with Dan Rather: [e-mail]
The Early Show: [e-mail]
60 Minutes II: [e-mail]
48 Hours: [e-mail]
Face The Nation: [e-mail]

Fox News Channel
[e-mail]
Special Report with Brit Hume: [e-mail]
FOX Report with Shepard Smith: [e-mail]
The O'Reilly Factor: [e-mail]
Hannity & Colmes: [e-mail], [e-mail]
On the Record with Greta: [e-mail]

NBC
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams: [e-mail]
NBC News' Today: [e-mail]
Dateline NBC: [e-mail]

NewsHour with Jim Lehrer: [e-mail]

National Public Radio
All Things Considered: [e-mail]
Morning Edition: [e-mail]
Talk Of The Nation: [e-mail]

LA Times
[e-mail]

New York Times
[e-mail]

USA Today
[e-mail]

Wall Street Journal
[e-mail]

Washington Post
[e-mail]

Associated Press:
[e-mail]

[shireen]

13. my letter, fyi --- thanks for starting this thread, lindisfarne!

Dear <recipient>,

almost two weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit Mississippi and Louisiana, pets are still being found alive, although seriously emaciated and dehydrated. These abandoned pets are running out of time.

Many evacuees were forced to leave their pets behind because most shelters do not allow animals. It must have been an agonizing decision, an additional trauma to the loss of their homes.

However, some areas of New Orleans are accessible; residents of those areas should be allowed home to retrieve their animals. Animal rescue groups are working very hard to save as many pets as possible, but it's a daunting task. They desperately need help, and the most effective way is for owners to be allowed to retrieve their own pets.

It's ironic that search and rescue dogs are out there helping to find human survivors while many of their canine cousins are being left to die. Pets deserve to be saved, and I appeal to Governor Blanco, Mayor Nagin, and other authorities to let resident back in to get their pets.

Thank you,
Shireen Gonzaga

[shireen]

14. KICK n/t

[shireen]

15. KICK n/t

[lindisfarne]

16. kick n/t

[peacebaby3]

17. Kick - n/t