YORK COUNTY, Pa. — When Teresa Fernandez arrived to work at Animal Rescue Inc. one Tuesday morning, she was met with the aftermath of a pipe burst.
“The building was just flooded with water,” Fernandez recalled.
Animal Rescue Inc. in New Freedom, York County is still in deep water after the burst pipe caused massive flood damage in August. It’s been three weeks and staff members say the issue hasn’t been resolved, but Fernandez says the biggest problem now is, “We still don’t have water.”
Maintenance crews have performed multiple pipe repairs with no success yet, which is forcing the shelter to keep its water turned off.
With more than 200 animals that need fresh water to drink, cages and bedding that need to be washed and no running water in the building, shelter staff are getting creative to stay afloat.
“We are collecting rainwater, and we are using that to rinse dog kennels, possibly floor cleaning, to flush our toilets,” Fernandez explained.
In addition to the rainwater, Fernandez says members of the community have been lending a helping hand during the shelter’s water shortage.
“They know we have bags of laundry sitting there every single day, they’re bringing us water jugs constantly. It’s been a blessing, we could not have done that without the community.”
Even with the help, Fernandez says it’s still a struggle. With the shelter going through at least 40 gallons of water each day, she explained that the shelter is still in need of assistance.
“We still need their help," Fernandez said. "We have no idea when this is going to be fixed.”
Until the pipe problem is resolved, the shelter has stopped taking in dogs and most cats. For those already living in the shelter, staff members are making a push for more adoptions and foster families to help reduce stress on the animals.
“If we can move them out while this is happening, it's better for them,” Fernandez said.
More information on adoption and foster services can be found on the Animal Rescue Inc. website.