NORTH CHARLESTON: Though Hurricane Dorian was churning away from South Carolina late Thursday, some residents chose to play it safe and spend one more night in a shelter with their families — and pets.
As the storm approached, Eric McKinney, 36, his grandmother and his black-and-white Chihuahua “Baby” arrived at a shelter in North Charleston the day before.
“I walk her every couple of hours,“ he said of the dog, with a smile.
McKinney and his grandmother, who is diabetic and uses a wheelchair, live in a house surrounded by trees in an area of nearby Charleston that often floods — so they preferred to stay at the shelter for as long as possible.
“I’ll stay as long as my grandma has to stay,“ he said.
The one-story brick building allows families to stay in small rooms for privacy, away from the other temporary residents.
“I’ve been to other shelters where you don’t have rooms,“ McKinney said. “But here you have rooms.”
“This building is pretty good as far as being soundproof.”
And those staying at the shelter can gather in a communal room to watch TV.
But the space is not huge, housing up to 26 people, with 20 planning to stay overnight Thursday into Friday, said Red Cross volunteer shelter supervisor Darren Courtney.
“The accommodations are wonderful,“ Courtney said, still upbeat after working for 36 hours straight. “We are very lucky to have this facility.”
Dogs, rabbits, cat, bird
“Everybody has been in a really good spirit. Last night they were just laughing and having a good time,“ he said.
Courtney came all the way from California to help with volunteer efforts for the hurricane, which is now headed toward North Carolina.
“We have some very sweet guys that came out of town, from wherever they came from, left their family and came to help us out and take care of us,“ said 64-year-old Ruthie Snider, grateful for a place to stay as she remembered the rattle the wind had made the night before.
The downtown Charleston resident stayed in one of the shelter’s rooms with a friend, two daughters and a granddaughter.
And she is glad to have been allowed to bring her two rabbits: “Animals get special treatment,“ she said.
“It’s the only shelter in our area that is allowed to have pets here,“ said Harold Phillips, a sergeant with the Charleston County Sheriff’s office who is in charge of the animals at this shelter.
Families “don’t want to leave their pet behind during a major weather event,“ Phillips said. “Having the animals here, it’s one less thing on their mind.”
During Dorian, the shelter has been home to 10 dogs, one cat, three rabbits and a bird. The pets’ owners bring their food and whatever else they will need during their stay.
But not all shelters in the area were so luxurious.
Just a few kilometers away, another Red Cross shelter still had 130 occupants for the night, crammed onto cots in a dark hallway — with no power. — AFP
