Dogs & San Diego Firestorm 2007

The devastating wildfires in Southern California have caused at least $1 billion in damage in San Diego County alone, officials said Wednesday, as easing wind gave firefighters hope that they could begin to gain ground against the flames.

The fires, now in their fourth day, have destroyed 1,500 homes and caused at least a half-million people to flee, in the largest evacuation in state history. At least 1,200 of the damaged homes were in San Diego County, and officials believe that number will rise.

“Clearly, this is going to be a $1 billion or more disaster,” Ron Lane, San Diego County’s director of emergency services, told reporters during a news conference.

The announcement of San Diego’s staggering losses came as President George W. Bush signed a major disaster declaration for California in the wake of wildfires that have charred hundreds of thousands of acres of land, taking structures in it’s wake.

With the number of displaced people also come a large number of displaced pets.  Dogs, cats, horses and other various “family members”.  San Diego has done a tremendous job of accommodating the needs of pet owners.

From the San Diego Humane Society & SPCA Web Page, 10/23/07

Over the last two days, officers, staff and volunteers have helped in evacuating more than 400 animals and are directly assisting several thousand animals at evacuation centers throughout the county. It is estimated that between 10,000 to 15,000 animals are in evacuation centers county-wide.

If you would like to help the thousands of displaced and injured pets and animals in need due to the So. Cal. fires, please click on the links below to find out how to donate pet supplies, food, cash, or volunteer time.

San Diego Humane Society & SPCA - How you can help; what you can donate.

San Diego Humane Society & SPCA - Make a secure online donation.

K9 Coach sincerely hopes for the continued safety of families including their dogs and other pets and sends a huge thanks to all those who have volunteered to help those in need during this San Diego Firestorm 2007 disaster.