TAMPA, Fla. — Tuesday's heavy rains caused some big problems at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
Staff members went into "full crisis mode" to move dozens of animals as the kennels flooded.
"Every time that it rains, especially on days like this with such heavy rain, we flood," said the shelter's chief development officer Ornella Varchi.
It's a doggone problem. The kennel runs fill up first, then the water pours in from the patios, Varchi said.
"They were soaking wet, scared obviously," he said. "We had to pull them all out of the kennels, put them in holding areas."
Staff moved dozens of dogs. The cat lanai and food storage areas weren't spared a soaking, either.
Varchi says it's a prime example of why they need your help to build a new shelter. The current building on N. Armenia Avenue in Tampa has been in use since the 1960s.
"There's a lot of wear and tear on this old shelter and we need a new facility to help us maintain these animals," she said.
The privately-funded project is in need of another $2 million in donations, Varchi said. The hope is to break ground on a new facility this spring.
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