St. Clair County Animal Control floods; dogs, cats rescued

ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ill. – More than two dozen cats and dogs had to be evacuated from St. Clair County Animal Control late Tuesday morning due to rising floodwaters.

The facility is located on South 11th Street, just off Route 15 outside Belleville. Volunteers with the Belleville Area Humane Society, which is located just up the street, loaded their van with kennels and raced to the scene.

The volunteers waded into water between knee and waist high to get the cats and dogs to safety.

The BAHS is already dealing with overcrowding of cats and kittens, but volunteers were able to make some space and are housing the rescued felines in pop-up kennels inside their offices.

According to video taken from the scene and posted to Facebook, the volunteers successfully accounted for every dog in the St. Clair County Animal Control building. The cats were the first to be evacuated.

A BAHS spokesperson said they have issued urgent foster pleas and are seeking donations to cope with this crisis. The Gateway Pet Guardians was gracious enough to accept some of the rescued animals to alleviate the burden.

Donations can be made to the Belleville Area Humane Society to support the ongoing care of the rescued animals.

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