Strangers Come Forward to Rent Van for Woman Stranded with 7 Rescue Dogs During Hurricane Florence

A woman from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, who couldn’t afford to leave town with her seven rescue dogs during Hurricane Florence, ended up receiving help from strangers.

After Christine Meinhold’s story was shared by CNN on Wednesday, people from around the country came forward to rescue her and her dogs.

“I really don’t have the resources to evacuate with seven dogs,” she told the news outlet. “When I rescued these dogs, I took on a responsibility of loving and caring for them the rest of their lives.”

She vowed to never abandon them and said if she tried to drive her car — which had 205,000 miles on it — she wouldn’t make it that far.

“I can’t imagine breaking down somewhere and putting them in danger,” she said, adding that she was boarding up her house and was “prepared for the worst and hoping for the best.”

What she wasn’t prepared for was that Elaine Sloan, from New York City, would hear the story and raise her hand to help.

Sloan told USA TODAY that she contacted her friend, Trudy Schilder, because they both had been involved with animal rescues before.

“Somehow we gathered others and this miracle unfolded,” Schilder told the outlet.

Kate Zenna, a radio host in California, also came forward and posted on social media for people to help her.

Zenna told CNN that people suggested purchasing her a 2009 Dodge Journey, but they ultimately decided to rent her a U-HAUL van.

Shilder posted photographs of Meinhold with her dogs as they safely left the area.