WCSPCA Flooding & Evacuation
What happened?
In the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 21, 2019, the Washington County SPCA (WCSPCA) in Bartlesville, Oklahoma was forced to evacuate all animals being housed in their shelter buildings. The forty-year-old facility is located in the flood plain on the Caney River. WCSPCA staff and Washington County Emergency Management had been in communication regarding the rising flood levels. At 1 am on the 21st, shelter management received a call that the river was rising fast and the road to the shelter would be closed in two hours. Staff and volunteers mobilized and evacuated 181 animals to safety. 56 were originally placed in foster care, and the rest were relocated to the WCSPCA’s small spay/neuter clinic. All animals were rescued, but many supplies had to be left behind and were ruined by floodwaters.
From May 21 to June 15, the WCSPCA operated out of the limited space of the spay/neuter clinic site. As it wasn’t originally intended to function as a shelter, this situation posed many challenges for properly separating and quarantining animals. On June 15, after the floodwaters had receded and the initial necessary repairs had been made, the WCSPCA began transferring animals back to the original shelter location.
How you can help.
The WCSPCA is still recovering from the damage to its buildings. Thankfully, many wonderful members of our community and beyond have stepped up to get the shelter back up and running. Volunteers are always needed for shelter up-keep and maintenance. Call the shelter at 918-440-3114 to find out how you can help!
Did you know it costs nearly $40,000 a month to operate the shelter?! You can donate to help animals HERE.
Thank you!
Thank you to our staff, board, volunteers and fosters who spent countless hours, lifting, moving, cleaning, driving and literally giving blood, sweat and tears to help us get settled into a temporary shelter and preparing the existing shelter for our return. We appreciate your continued support.
Visit us!
The WCSPCA has moved back to its permanent location at 16620 State Hwy 123 in Bartlesville.