As Hurricane Florence passes out of the area, the floodwaters from the record rainfall continue to threaten some parts of North and South Carolina, with major rivers expected to reach their peak flood levels in the next few hours or days. For much of the past week, residents have been evacuating or fleeing from Florence, many of them carrying their beloved furry companions. Dogs, cats, and other animals that were left behind, or were caught in the storm, are now being rescued and cared for by owners, neighbors, and first responders.
Photos: Pet Rescues in the Wake of Hurricane Florence
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Lisa Shackleford hugs her pet dogs Izzy (left) and Bella as she wades through floodwaters to safety while the Northeast Cape Fear River breaks its banks in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Burgaw, North Carolina, on September 17, 2018. #
Jonathan Drake / Reuters -
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Carla Ramm checks on her cat Jackjack after they were loaded onto a boat during their rescue from rising floodwaters in Leland, North Carolina, on September 16, 2018. #
Jonathan Drake / Reuters -
(1 of 3) Panicked dogs that were left caged by an owner who fled rising floodwaters are rescued by the volunteer rescuer Ryan Nichols of Longview, Texas, in Leland, North Carolina, on September 16, 2018. #
Jonathan Drake / Reuters -
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Willie Schubert of Pollocksville, North Carolina, cradles his dog Lucky as he waits to be rescued from a stranded van by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew in Pollocksville on September 17, 2018. #
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The U.S. Coast Guard flight mechanic Jason Frayne (left) directs J. Heron Ramos Sr. and his dog in a parking lot in Wilmington, North Carolina, as they leave a Coast Guard helicopter after being picked up from their flooded home in Burgaw, North Carolina, on September 18, 2018. #
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(1 of 2) A cat clings to the side of a trailer in floodwaters as the Northeast Cape Fear River breaks its banks in Burgaw, North Carolina, on September 17, 2018. #
Jonathan Drake / Reuters -
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(2 of 2) A soaked cat rests at the entrance to a trailer home after swimming there through floodwaters, before eventually being rescued, on September 17, 2018. #
Jonathan Drake / Reuters -
Brent Lamb, his daughter Laci, 4, and their dog are removed from the flooded neighborhood of Lumberton, North Carolina, by members of the U.S. Coast Guard Shallow Water Rescue Team on September 17, 2018. #
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Cages hold rescued pets in the Holshouser Building at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, North Carolina, on September 17, 2018. When the Carteret County shelter was damaged by Tropical Storm Florence and had to be evacuated, several animal-rescue organizations in the Raleigh area volunteered to take the animals in. Dozens of volunteers, including veterinarians, vet students from the nearby North Carolina State University Veterinary School, and animal lovers from the community, came to help process, examine, console, and care for the animals. Eighty-two animals were taken in: 42 dogs and 40 cats. The animals will be distributed to various animal-rescue groups in the Raleigh area, where they will then be made available for adoption. #
Chris Seward / AP -
Rescue workers from Township No. 7 Fire Department and volunteers from the Civilian Crisis Response Team use a boat to rescue a woman and her dog from their flooded home on September 14, 2018, in James City, Virginia. #
Chip Somodevilla / Getty -
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Susan Hedgpeth hugs her dog Cooper as they go to higher ground with the United States Coast Guard during Tropical Storm Florence in Lumberton, North Carolina, on September 16, 2018. #
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Wanda McGhee (left) comforts Leann Davis in a Coast Guard helicopter after they were picked up from their flooded homes in Burgaw, North Carolina, on September 18, 2018. #
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After a harrowing few days, Pearl, a Great Pyrenees, relaxes in her cage on September 17, 2018. She was one of the animals rescued from an animal shelter in Carteret County, North Carolina, that was transported to the Holshouser Building at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, North Carolina. #
Chris Seward / AP
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