Connecting people and their pets was not a big problem. The biggest problem he saw was that people did not know they were there or that many pets were waiting for their humans to claim them. People found out primarily by word of mouth. A visitor might spot an animal that looked like a neighbor's pet; Martin and his fellow workers would then try to track down the person. Martin brought about eight animals to the temporary shelter while he was there, and by the time he left five had gone home. Pets belonging to people who lost their houses were placed in foster homes.
There were not many injured animals by the time Martin arrived. Post-traumatic stress was the most noticeable problem, especially for cats. Martin found one cat sitting on a window sill; that window sill was about all that was left of the house.
He took the Shelter's utility vehicle loaded with traps, animal carriers, collars, leashes, and other supplies, and picked up more donations along the way. Once in Arkadelphia, he helped set up a temporary shelter--essentially livestock pens to which they added chicken wire on the bottom and canvas to keep out rain and wind.
Martin's assignment was part of the Animals' Disaster Response Team plan recently put into place in Arkansas. Under the plan, teams will be ready to help with a disaster anywhere in the state.