Karen O’Toole’s Orphans of Katrina: Book review
October 26, 2010 • Product Reviews •
Reviewed by Amber L. Eicher
Karen O’Toole’s Orphans of Katrina is a tragic look at the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina, the levy breach, and the devastating effect it had on our beloved four legged friends who could not fend for themselves. Through her journey, a personal call to action, a blind travel plan to an area with no admittance and the realization that luxury hotels are a distant memory, her story brings to life the harsh reality of this natural disaster.
The national news shared with us what the suffering was like for humans following the catastrophe but did not by any stretch of the imagination tell us what life was like for the animals who could not escape the hurricane and flood.
Like so many, you may have wondered how people could leave their pets behind for weeks at a time. Karen O’Toole sets the record straight for those devastated owners who loved and cared for their pets but could not take them with them during the evacuation. Often pet owners would leave the area for one or two days due to Hurricanes and leave their pets behind with plenty of food and water only to return when the storm had passed. What those loving parents could not have imagined was the levy break and being unable to return to their stranded pets for up to two months. Orphans of Katrina keenly describes their feelings of loss and why many heroes like Karen O’Toole were compelled to rescue these stranded animals. The individual animal stories she shares throughout the book provide a real life look into the conditions of New Orleans for the animals, as well as the many heroic people and organizations that stayed for weeks with minimal supplies to rescue them.
To those heroes who dedicated their own time and money to rescue the animals, which might not find their owners or be adopted, this book is a tribute to human compassion in the face of uncertainty.
She describes the power of the internet to connect with owners following a disaster and provides many tips in “How We Can Make a Difference” at the end of many chapters. How do we prepare our own families for a natural disaster? What can we learn from the victims of Katrina, human and pets alike? Some of them we already know, keep your animal tags current and be sure your animals are chipped with current information on file. What you may not know, if you must leave your pet behind, mark the outside of your house indicating if pets are inside and be sure if anyone offers to “take your pet to safety” to get their name and driver license info. There are actually people who steal pets during disasters to sell them!
In Katrina Pet Profiles, there are stories that will break your heart but there are also fantastic stories with wonderful reunions and happy endings.
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