Extremely blessed.
This is what Julia Evans, manager of the Animal Welfare Society (AWS) Helderberg, considers the organisation and its furry friends to be, after the dependable community once again rallied to aid them in time of crisis.
Left battling when taps dried up as result of the catastrophic water-supply disruptions due to a pipe burst in Faure Marine Drive, Gordon’s Bay, the AWS turned to social media with a call for water to help keep the kennel operational and its 300 furry friends hydrated and cared for.
“We are fortunate to have a borehole and a purification plant. However, the one pump on the borehole was in for repairs, so we were dependent on municipal water. But there was no water at all on that day – which meant no drinking water for the animals, no water for the surgery and no water to clean kennels, no water in the hospital. A disaster of note!” recalled Evans while painting a picture of the dire situation they had faced.
According to Evans, they initially opted to alert the Fire and Rescue Service which in turn advised them to call on Disaster Risk Management for help. With not one of the emergency services being able to assist, they resorted to publishing a call for assistance on Facebook on Tuesday 11 June, which is assured to get immediate reaction. “People from all over arrived, bringing bottles from small to large. Agriforum also sent 1 000 litres. It was absolutely amazing to behold,” said Evans.
She added that without the valued support from good Samaritans in every corner of the basin, the situation would have had truly disastrous effects. “Because of the generosity and kind hearts of the community, we were able to continue our surgeries, our consultations, our kennel cleaning. We even had enough water to make coffee,” she shared.
“Each and everyone who responded are heroes. We are extremely blessed.”
