Millions of Animals Die in Hurricanes. This Couple Rescues Them
When Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina in 2018, Jay Yontz and Kristin Hartness saw a lot of really morbid, somber things. The couple own an animal sanctuary, and during the hurricanes catastrophic flooding, they risked their lives to save dozens of creatures. Among those saved was a litter of puppies trapped on a porch. But, as Yontz and Hartness will tell you, the majority of animals that perish in hurricanes arent petstheyre farm animals, abandoned and left to drown in factory farms. Shawn Bannons short documentary Hurricane Heroes follows Hartness and Yontz as they embark on a series of breathtaking rescue operations to save the animals society has left behind.
According to Bannon, the official number of farm animals that died during Florence is 3.4 million poultry birds and 5,500 pigs. But most people I talked to said it was a lot higher than that, he told me. From what Ive heard, a lot of farm animals were washed away by the hurricane, so they were not included in this number.
The fact that many of the animals rescued were bred for consumption does not influence the couples perspective on the necessity of their work.
https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/599911/hurricane-heroes/