Hurricanes Helene and Milton packed a one-two punch last fall that hit Florida with wind speeds of over 100 miles per hour. They also inundated coastal areas with storm surge of up to 15 feet for Helene and 10 for Milton. With these storms occurring just two weeks apart, people and animals in their path had little time to recover before bracing themselves for another impact. Wildlife rescues were no different, and you’ve helped us support one of them several times in the months since these twin disasters.

Seaside Seabird Sanctuary, located along Florida’s west coast in Indian Shores, was hit by both storms. This made things very difficult for the birds in their care – up to 3,500 patients each year and around 100 permanently injured residents. While they usually focus on rehabilitating and releasing those that are healthy enough, the storms turned their priorities to keeping them safe.

As each storm approached, sanctuary staff and volunteers rushed to secure their facility and to transfer their birds to safer off-site locations that would protect them from the storm surge and strong winds.

Before Milton’s approach, a team from our partner Greater Good Charities (GGC) helped with this transfer. Fortunately, these efforts paid off, with all the birds surviving both storms. However, their facility was a different story.

There was substantial damage to be sorted through to ensure the facility could provide the best care for birds again, which was pressing, because their hospital was also swamped with birds suffering from wind-induced injuries, red tide-related illness, and more.

The GGC team helped clear away debris and get enclosures back in shape. Thanks to you, we’ve recently been able to do more.

Your clicks, trivia participation, shopping for a cause, and direct donations have helped support a more recent GGC trip to repair lingering damage. The sanctuary’s netting, necessary for their animals’ safety, has also been replaced.

Because disasters can leave a trail of destruction that can take months or years to fix, projects that provide the necessities to continue work in the meantime are essential.

This essential work is possible thanks to you! If you’d like to continue to contribute to shelter and sanctuary rebuild projects, click below!