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I just got back from the Expo center. A few
brief things to note for anyone interested in helping. This may
ramble a bit, but I am still tired. The trip back became hell when
the air conditioner broke thirty miles into the return trip. This
was after we had paid $1,000 to have it fixed the day before.
Unfortunately, that $1,000 was our operating funds and we were unable to
stay longer.
NOLA is still under martial law. If you want to
get into NO then allow one day for LASPCA to get your credentials from the
military. This will entail filling out an application and turning
your ID over to the LASPCA. If you are coming in with a large group
that is expected then they might be able to pre-certify you, but I don't
know that for sure.
Volunteers are desperately needed for cats, specialty
animals, and data entry. Cats
and dogs need night crews. It is somewhat cooler at night and with
the new air-conditioned FEMA tent night crews are possible. I
personally know that in the heat of the day cats are placed with ice bags
or frozen bottles of water. I am sure that the other areas have much
the same needs. Since the FEMA tent was finished on my first full
day, there may already be systems in place for joining night crews that
were not in place when I was there.
There is a small specialty section that might have
one volunteer on any given day. I personally know that there are
rabbits and birds. I heard that there are reptiles and there might
be other things I am not aware of. So one day you have a volunteer who
knows birds, but not the needs of the other animals.
Specifically on the data entry, knowledge of
Chameleon is priority. If anyone could provide a trailer capable of
air-conditioning up to 6 to 8 people contact the software company.
At the time I left, they were starting to set up stations in the animal
barns, but there is a HUGE amount of backlog that needs to be taken care
of and the air conditioner in the trailer being used was not able to keep
up. As soon as three people were in the trailer the temp would start
to climb. Imagine being in a sauna for several hours straight.
We are talking about absolutely no air circulation in 95+ temps.
Remember that it is considered animal cruelty if you were to do that to
your dogs while you are shopping.
The work is not physically demanding, but such
conditions are worse than being outside. I tried to move outside and
was more comfortable, but struggled with graphics. The screen became
hard to see and digitally capturing the photos became impossible. If
you think this is not helping the animals, then let me correct you.
This it the information that is forwarded to
PetFinder. Also, the state will not allow any animal to be relocated
unless the paperwork is complete. The limited service I provided of
importing digital photos into an animal's record was all that was needed
to upload these animals to PetFinder. Two volunteers, one with solid
computer knowledge and one trained on the Chameleon software were able to
attach 500 photos in just a few hours.
Laundry service for the volunteers would be greeted
with groveling. We brought a whole bunch of t-shirts in varying
sizes, some were used though most were new. If you are going into NO
then special shirts are required.
Food and drinks are not a problem. I don't know
if it was purchased or donated, but catering services provided breakfast
and lunch. Coolers of bottled water and soda were everywhere.
There were two permanent bathing facilities provided.
One way back at the furthest end of the Center that I never saw and one on
the right side of the Center. For the women there were two shower
stalls and three toilets.
The FEMA tent had a portable bathroom facility with
three stalls on the women's side. I could not tell you what the
men's side was like. At the time I left there were rumors of FEMA
showering facilities being provided.
The Expo Center operators were very concerned about
contamination of the facility and there were rumors that they wanted to
shut it down. I don't know if they could shut it down or plan to,
but I can understand contamination concerns.
Everything changes and some of these items may have
already been addressed.
The most amusing term I heard was SUV a "Sudden
Unexpected Volunteer"
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