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COOL GREEN WORLD HELPS TO RESCUE STRANDED
PETS
Pet rescue repeat remains doubtful
By Steve Wideman Post-Crescent staff writer
WEYAUWEGA - Grace Kaminske watched in frustration Friday's
rescue of an estimated 200 pets abandoned during last Monday's
evacuation of the city.
The elderly woman wanted her peek-a-poo dog, Pugsley,
but Kaminske lives in one of five or six homes in the "red
zone," where an exploding propane tank car would mean instant
death.
Thanks to the efforts of an unidentified worker who
plucked the apparently healthy dog from the home, Kaminske
and Pugsley were reunited Monday night.
"There are no words that will express how ecstatic I
feel," she said after learning of her dog's rescue.
But Lt. Col. Peter Fox of the Wisconsin National Guard,
noting the danger of an explosion remains high, all but
ruled out using two armored personnel carriers remaining
at Weyauwega to repeat Friday's pet rescue.
"It was a small victory getting Mrs. Kaminske's dog.
Now we're working on the rest," said Jody Marriott, a Hortonville
resident who, among other volunteers, would like a chance
to rescue an estimated 200 to 400 pets still remaining in
the deserted city.
"We're going to keep trying because when we know there
are 200 animals starving and dehydrating, we have to do
something. Time is of the essence."
Marriott praised the efforts of the worker who rescued
Pugsley and of the cooperation from authorities who passed
word to crews working to drain explosive propane gas from
more than a dozen overturned railroad tank cars.
The same cleanup crews have been feeding the stranded
cows of dairy farmer Gordon Niemuth. "We were wondering,
and I know it's beyond their call of duty, why they (cleanup
crews) couldn't on the way out stop, grab a dog and carry
on," she said.
Marriott had been working with local animal rights groups
and animal shelters to form a plan to help pet owners retrieve
their animals.
"Our concern is for the pets. I understand some people
don't want to take the risk to go in and that is fair enough,
but we are willing to go in," she said. Marriott said she
has no illusions about receiving permission to enter the
abandoned city.
"I'm hoping we can figure something out. If it's going
to be until March 25 before people can get back into town,
that's kind of a long time. I'm certainly going to keep
talking to people," she said.
On March 12, the above article appeared in The Post Crescent
Newspaper, concerning the pet rescue attempts in Weyauwega,
Wisconsin. While the "official" word was that no further
attempts would be made, behind the scenes the rescues, and
tearful reunions of pet owners with their animal companions,
continued.
The situation began on March 4th, when the 1700 residents
of Weyauwega were evacuated from their town following a
fiery train derailment. Unfortunately, in the hurry and
confusion, many pets were left behind by their owners--who
mistakenly thought they would be home again in a few hours.
As the facts became clearer--the train had been carrying
cars of highly explosive propane--residents received the
news they would not be returning for 2-3 weeks while the
tanks were slowly drained.
Frantic pet owners' and farmers' pleas to return to rescue
their animals went unheeded at first. Directors of Cool
Green World joined other concerned citizens in a concentrated
telephone campaign to the Governor, the National Guard (who
had been brought in to oversee the derailment situation),
and the media. After several days, the volume of calls and
the persistence of some pet owners finally paid off, when
volunteers from the National Guard took several residents
back into Weyauwega in armored vehicles. They were allowed
5 minutes to collect their pets.
Many Weyauwegans successfully retrieved their scared and
hungry animals, but some residents were unable to find all
their pets in the allotted 5 minutes. Some residents chose
not to take the risk of going in, and others were not allowed
in, as the area where they lived was labeled a "hot zone"
and considered too risky for civilians. As a team of Hazardous
Materials Experts drained the propane tanks, 200 to 400
pets remained in the city--most with no food or water available.
At this point, a group of individuals, including Jody Marriott,
executive director and president of Cool Green World, stepped
up to organize the safe retrieval of many of the remaining
stranded pets, and the feeding and watering of those that
could not be brought out. The whole campaign was carried
on unofficially, but would not have been possible without
the crucial cooperation and actions of several officials
in Weyauwega. Although those involved with the rescues cannot
be named, we would like to say a big, big thank you to all
of those who made possible many happy reunions of desperate
pet owners with their companions, and made sure those animals
that could not be brought out received the food and water
they needed to carry them through the ordeal.
After three weeks, the derailment crisis came to a successful
conclusion and Weyauwega residents have now safely returned
home.
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