The situation was looking dire Friday night for the people and more than 100 animals trapped inside a rapidly flooding North Carolina animal shelter in the wake of Hurricane Florence.
UPDATE: Shelter manager Cassandra Tupaj just told me the shelter is waiting on additional dog crates to complete the rescue: https://t.co/n648u8yVRs#Florence#ncwx
At around 7:30 p.m., Carteret County Humane Society shelter manager Cassandra Tupaj told The News & Observer that three staff members, 43 dogs and 80 cats were stuck on the top floor of the Newport shelter’s building, boxed in by rising waters. According to USA Today, there were also around 15 hens and roosters trapped in another location inside the facility.
“Roads are flooded around,” Tupaj told local news station 11 Alive, adding that rescuers would likely need boats to reach them. She said the building was already in need of repair before the storm hit, and she feared the roof over the dog kennels was in danger of collapsing in the intense rain.
Enter Cajun Navy Relief ― often referred to as simply “the Cajun Navy” ― a volunteer rescue group originating in Louisiana that’s often the first on the scene with their personal boats and equipment during natural disasters like hurricanes and floods.
Cajun Navy Relief spokesman Josh Richard confirmed to HuffPost that volunteers with the group were able to rescue the animals inside the shelter. All of the people inside escaped as well, though it was not immediately clear whether Cajun Navy rescued them or they got out in some other way.
Yes we can confirm the shelter has been evacuated and the animals have been transported to a local animal rescue
Tupaj confirmed to the News & Observer at noon on Saturday that the animals were “all OK.” It was not clear where the animals were being relocated, and the Carteret County Humane Society did not immediately return a request for comment from HuffPost.
This story has been updated to include the town where the shelter is located.
Rescue workers from Township No. 7 Fire Department and volunteers from the Civilian Crisis Response Team use a boat to rescue a woman and her dog from their flooded home.
Robert Simmons Jr. and his kitten 'Survivor' are rescued from floodwaters in New Bern, N.C..
The wind blows as Reyes visits the beach as people await the arrival of Hurricane Florence on September 13, 2018 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Panicked dogs who were left caged by an owner who fled rising flood waters in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, are rescued by volunteer rescuer Ryan Nichols of Longview, Texas, in Leland, North Carolina.
Panicked dogs who were left caged by an owner who fled rising flood waters in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, swim free after their release in Leland, North Carolina, U.S.
A woman holds her dog as she waits to enter a hurricane shelter at Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North Carolina, on September 11, 2018.
An injured pelican is pictured after Hurricane Florence struck on Carolina Beach, North Carolina, U.S., September 15, 2018.
Amanda Mason on Newport, N.C. carries a cat she rescued from her neighborhood off of Nine Foot Road on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 16, 2018. Mason and her partner Zack McWilliams visited their damaged home and found the displaced cat and carried it out to safety.
Horses are led to higher ground during Tropical Storm Florence in Lumberton, North Carolina, U.S. September 16, 2018. REUTERS/Randall Hill
A soaked cat rests at the entrance to a trailer home after swimming there through floodwaters, before eventually being rescued, as the Northeast Cape Fear River breaks its banks after Hurricane Florence in Burgaw, North Carolina, U.S., September 17, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake
Birds huddle together after Hurricane Florence struck on Carolina Beach, North Carolina, U.S., September 15, 2018.
A woman carries her cat on a flooded street after Hurricane Florence struck Piney Green, North Carolina, U.S., September 16, 2018.
Volunteers from all over North Carolina help rescue residents and their pets from their flooded homes during Hurricane Florence September 14, 2018 in New Bern, North Carolina.
A cat walks through a flooded street after Hurricane Florence struck Piney Green, North Carolina.
Birds huddle against the wind and rain of Hurricane Florence at the Oceana Pier in Atlantic Beach, N.C. Friday morning, Sept. 14, 2018.
Marge and Steve Durham, with their dog Seti and Saba the cat, from Myrtle Beach South Carolina park their RVs and settle into the Family Campground section of the Atlanta Motor Speedway which has been made available for evacuees fleeing Hurricane Florence's path in Hampton Georgia on Thursday September 13, 2018.
Adan Cooper, a K9 handler from Colorado Springs, left, pets his dog Tag as paramedic Fred Salazar, also from Colorado Springs, gives the dog IV fluids as members of Colorado Task Force 1 prepare for search and rescue operation during Hurricane Florence on September 14, 2018 in Pembroke, North Carolina. IV fluids help the dog stay healthy during his search and rescue work.
Rescue workers stand with a search dog as they prepare to continue rescue efforts after Hurricane Florence in Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S., on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018.
Pedestrians cross a flooded parking lot after Hurricane Florence in Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S., on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018.
A man and his dog get a close look at the beach from a golf cart during Hurricane Florence in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. September 14, 2018.
Tyler Bates holds his dogs as he is evacuated from his apartment by members of New York Urban Search and Rescue Task Force One due to flood waters from the Little River as it crests from the rains caused by Hurricane Florence as it passed through the area on September 18, 2018 in Spring Lake, North Carolina.
An escaped horse moves about near the floodwater caused by Hurricane Florence in Lumberton, North Carolina, U.S. September 16, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Miczek
FAYETTEVILLE, NC - SEPTEMBER 16: Dominique Capers carries her dog Lougie as she evacuates her home ahead of possible flood waters after Hurricane Florence passed through the area on September 16, 2018 in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
A wet dog waits with his owners as they await rescue from rising flood waters in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Leland, North Carolina, U.S., September 16, 2018.
A man and his dog walk along a flooded street after the passage of tropical storm Florence in New Bern, North Carolina, U.S., September 16, 2018.
Lisa Shackleford carries her pet dogs Izzy (L) and Bella as she wades through flood waters while the Northeast Cape Fear River breaks its banks in the aftermath Hurricane Florence in Burgaw, North Carolina, U.S., September 17, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake
Volunteers from all over North Carolina help rescue residents and their pets from their flooded homes during Hurricane Florence September 14, 2018 in New Bern, North Carolina.
A Husky sled dog named Maya peers out from a rescue boat as she joins people fleeing rising flood waters in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Leland, North Carolina, U.S., September 16, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake
A dog is illuminated by the flashlights and headlamps of rescue workers inside a house during Tropical Storm Florence at night in Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S., on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Major poultry and�meat�companies are starting to resume operations in the Carolinas as the torrential rains and flooding unleashed by Hurricane�Florence�start to subside. Photographer: Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Aerial view of a hog farm after the passing of Hurricane Florence in eastern North Carolina, U.S., September 17, 2018.
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