Southeast Louisiana has weathered two major hurricanes exactly 16 years apart — Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and now Hurricane Ida — and much has changed in that time, including the ability to rescue those who can't save themselves.
Thanks to social media and a growing network of nonprofits and volunteers, more animals seem to be finding their way out of this storm.
The Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates that as many as 104,000 pets were left behind to weather Katrina, at least 88,700 went unaccounted for and likely 50,000 to 70,000 across the Gulf Coast died, according to the group's website.
In the years since, national legislation has been passed to require governments on all levels to include companion animals in their evacuation plans. Local ordinances, like one in Jefferson Parish, have made it illegal to tether and abandon an animal, especially in inclement weather.
Louisiana National Guard soldiers have rescued at least 55 pets from flooded homes and neighborhoods by high-water vehicle, boat or air since Ida made landfall Sunday.
Part of the animal rescue effort began before the storm, as local groups readied shelters for an influx of animals that might have been left behind.
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