by Helene Flaxbeard, American Red Cross

Cynthia Knettel and her dog, Eddie, are staying at an American Red Cross shelter after Hurricane Milton devastated their Florida home. She has lived in St. Petersburg, Florida for over 53 years and has never seen a hurricane like Milton.

“For people like me that have been around a long time you hear the same message, get out, it’s going to be horrible, and it never happened. So, when Hurricane Helene came it was bad but not devastating, but then Hurricane Milton came I think it just shocked everybody that it could be that bad. This is unbelievable,”

Cynthia is no stranger to adversity. Just a few years ago she had emergency back surgery and lost her job. She lives on a fixed income and finding affordable housing has been difficult. But this has not broken her spirit, and neither will these storms.

During Hurricane Helene she rode out the storm in a motel where she was staying. But after seeing Helene’s impact she knew she needed to evacuate in advance of Hurricane Milton and took a bus to an evacuation center. But after the storm passed, she wasn’t sure what was next. She took another bus to a hotel where she had planned to stay, but after arriving realized the hotel didn’t have power. It was nearly one o’clock in the morning when she finally found safe refuge at a Red Cross shelter in Clearwater, Florida, where she and Eddie were welcomed with open arms.

“They have been so wonderful with Eddie and with all of us,” she said.

Eddie, a sweet 15-year-old pup who is deaf, has limited vision and suffers from arthritis. He had run out of pain medication, but a veterinarian came to the shelter and was able to refill Eddie’s medication. He is a sweet dog, and you can tell he is so glad to be with his mom and she is equally as happy to have him nearby.

At our shelters, everyone is welcome -- and that includes pets. Many people will not evacuate without their pets because they are a part of the family. That is why the Red Cross is committed to finding solutions to keep pets with their owners, or at least as close by as possible. The Ross Norton Recreation Center Red Cross shelter is a pet co-located shelter where residents stay in the dormitory and a special portion is designated for pets where their owners can visit them at any time.

Experiencing disaster and displacement is incredibly challenging, but keeping families and their pets together is a small yet meaningful step towards starting the healing process.

WE NEED YOUR HELP
People desperately need help. Thousands have seen their neighborhoods destroyed. Many have lost their homes, their belongings, their jobs and sadly, in some cases, loved ones. The Red Cross can’t do this alone. Please help by making a financial donation, an appointment to give blood or platelets, or signing up to become a volunteer by visiting redcross.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767). Financial donations to help people affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from these disasters. You can also text the word HURRICANES to 90999 to make a donation.