Thread by @austinpetsalive

We are continuing our emergency response plan we enacted on Thursday — making our shelter as warm as possible via generators, decreasing the numbers of animals onsite, & triaging urgent situations in our community as well as shelters across Texas.

Since 1:30- a.m. yesterday morning, we have been without power at our Town Lake shelter, and we are unsure when it will return. On top of the power outage, yesterday afternoon a pipe burst near the cattery.

Thanks to six generous community members who braved the snow and ice to bring generators to our shelter, we were able to restore power. Our animals and onsite staff are safe, but now there is no running water.

Our staff investigated the bursted pipe & had to shut off the main water to prevent further damage. At the moment, we are operating with only bottled water & have flood damage to address in the coming days.

Our immediate focus is to get a licensed plumber to TLAC today, collect bottled water for staff, gather cat food for community members, & keep the generators running with gas as it is unknown when the power will be restored to the shelter.

If you or someone you know is a plumber and/or you can safely bring bottled water, cat food, or unleaded regular gas to our shelter, please email [e-mail].

Yesterday when the generators we had on site were not working, we focused on moving our clinic animals, like our parvo puppies and this momma cat, to a warm space. Our clinic staff were able to take our most vulnerable animals from the clinic to a nearby hotel.

This is yet another example of the ways our dedicated staff have had to pivot during this crisis, all while keeping animal health and safety a top priority.

The entire APA! team has been blown away by the support of our community during this historic winter weather. We are beyond grateful for you, & we still need your help to get through the remaining frosty days.

Please check our blog austinpetsalive.org/blog for resources and ways to help and donate if you are able austinpetsalive.org/donate

As we continue to brace this cold one crisis at a time, please continue keeping yourself, your families, and your pets safe. Thank you for allowing us to continue leading the way in animal welfare.