Hurricane Milton: Wisconsin-based nonprofit heads south to help
PEWAUKEE, Wis. - Cleanup in Florida continues after Hurricane Milton ripped through the state, and a Wisconsin group arrived Sunday evening to help.
With the help of candy and energy drinks, Operation Bring Animals Home continues its mission heading south.
"We’re dealing with a lot of traffic," said Operation Bring Animals Home founder Caryn McCollum. "I’m assuming evacuees are starting to come back down. We have hay, we have feed, we have food for cats and dogs."
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The Wisconsin crew is heading to Florida to help with the aftermath of the hurricane. The Pewaukee-based nonprofit focuses on animals.
"We’re going to head in to the Seffner area, which is just northeast of the Tampa area, Because that’s kind of the tipping point. We are hearing there’s a lot of the flooding still going on," McCollum said.
Donations from local feed shops were packed into two trucks and trailers.
McCollum said what they need now is monetary donations. The rescue crews need funding for four days.
"At this point, we only have funding for one day of an airboat," she said.
The air boat allows the volunteers to get around shallow water and to land easily.
Hurricane Milton: Wisconsin woman to help animals in aftermath
A group from Wisconsin is headed to Florida to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, with their focus on animals.
"We will move as needed," McCollum said. "We’ll make contact with local emergency operations, let them know who we are and what our capabilities are, and then go from there."
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Along the drive, the Wisconsinites have seen many lineman trucks and damage from Hurricane Helene. But in the devastation, there's hope.
"We had a gentleman come up to us thanking us with a $20 for our efforts," she said. "It happened again last night at a gas station."
The efforts are not going unnoticed by the people and animals who need them most.
Anyone interested in donating can donate to TCRS2023 on Venmo. It will help them pay for supplies, like fencing and kennel runs, when they get down to Florida.