Rescue truck donated by philanthropist Lois Pope helps aid animals impacted by Kentucky floods

Within days of a catastrophic flooding event in eastern Kentucky that killed dozens of people and displaced thousands of residents from their homes, American Humane mobilized its Rescue Team to support those impacted by the disaster.

Utilizing a 50-foot mobile rescue unit donated by well-known philanthropist Lois Pope, first responders working with the nonprofit organization rushed to the scene to provide aid to animals and relief organizations on the ground.

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American Humane, which has an office at 251 Royal Palm Way in Palm Beach, was founded more than a century ago with a mission to ensure the safety, welfare, and well-being of animals.

Pope, a longtime animal advocate who lives in Manalapan, donated three of the organization's six mobile rescue units, including the Virginia-based trailer that was deployed to Kentucky. The others she donated are stationed in Los Angeles and Stuart.

“Thanks to the compassion of Lois Pope, our dedicated team of first responders was able to answer the urgent call for help and deploy to eastern Kentucky where they are saving countless animal lives,” American Humane president and CEO Robin Ganzert said.

“With the overwhelming generosity of our great friends like Lois, our Rescue Team is able to help bring relief to the people of eastern Kentucky who are struggling to provide food and shelter to their pets.”

With six mobile rescue trailers stationed around the country, American Humane can deploy its Rescue Team anywhere disaster strikes within a 24-hour time span, said Ganzert, who lives in West Palm Beach and runs an animal sanctuary there.

Each of the trailers, complete with a Ford F-350 truck, are equipped to hold up to 100 animals and are utilized throughout the year, especially during the summer months when wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes and floods are more common, Ganzert said.

In Kentucky, four Rescue Team members and six rescue volunteers helped coordinate American Humane's relief efforts from their base in Hazard, a small town of 5,200 in the southeastern part of the state, Ganzert said.

Their work included animal rescue and delivering critical supplies including pet food, leashes, collars, harnesses and medications to residents affected by the floods.

Breathitt County resident Greg Stivers, his wife and their 11-year-old son were among those who received assistance, Ganzert said. The family was able to save themselves, their dogs and their newborn puppies during the floods, which began July 24 and continued for more than a week.

As their home filled with water, the Stiverses put their puppies in a Styrofoam cooler for floating purposes, and carried their other dogs to the attic.

With the water continuing to rise, Greg Stivers punched a hole through the roof and crawled outside with his wife and son. They were evacuated by a rescue helicopter, but the dogs remained in the attic.

Once floodwaters receded, the family went back to retrieve the dogs, which were nearing heat exhaustion, Stivers told first responders.

American Humane provides support in times of trouble

American Humane has helped the family provide for their dogs as they recover from the tragedy.

“They came out to check on the animals and they gave us some dog food," Stivers said. "They’re really nice people, friendly, and apparently, they really love animals or they wouldn’t be with American Humane. They gave us food, they gave us flea and tick medicine. They really helped us.”

American Humane has cared for more than 300 animals in eastern Kentucky in the weeks following the floods, Ganzert said, and the organization will remain there as long as support is needed.

"Many of us consider our animals to be part of our families now," she said. "You're not whole or complete until your entire family is rescued. That's why American Humane is doing boots on the ground in eastern Kentucky. We will reunite families by bringing the  four-legged family members back to their human pet parents."

American Humane is based in Washington, D.C. For information, visit americanhumane.org.

Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: American Humane sends team to aid animals affected by Kentucky floods