A truly rewarding day... Date: September 13, 2005 Time: 12:49 pm EST Re: Hurricane Katrina Rescue Efforts From: Debbie Yesterday we started our morning with a briefing from Deborah Parsons Drake, site Area Director.  She gave us a break down of what the day would be like and what needed to be done. They were awaiting the arrival of 50 to 100 more animals that would need to be decontaminated, assessed by the veterinarians, vaccinated and made as comfortable as possible in one of the four open air barns based on their status. The first barn is the "stray" area for animals that have been displaced from their families due to the hurricane. The "Owner Surrendered" barn is for pets whose owners could no longer care for them and had to sign them over for adoption.  The sick animals are in "Isolation" where they are treated and given medication. The "Pet Friendly" area is housing animals whose owners have been displaced by the hurricane but wish to keep their pets once they can get settled. These pets will be housed here until their families are able to care for them again. br> The volunteer situation changes daily. One day there can be as many as 1OO volunteers on hand, the next day the number can drop down to 4O. Nonetheless the help is always needed and appreciated. We are living in tents set up next to the barns so we are close to the animals and safe in our area since the military police are patrolling. At about 5:3Opm last night we prepared to leave and loaded 3O of the "owner surrendered" animals on the mobile unit to make the 4 to 5 hour journey with us back to the Greater Birmingham Humane Society. We arrived around 1O pm and there were staff and volunteers waiting for us and to greet the new arrivals. The team will be heading back to Hattiesburg today to see what other animals we can rescue. Debbie, Christina, and Tom