Workers recall heartbreaking ordeal after Dorian floods Humane Society in Grand Bahama

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Historic and unprecedented storm surge from Hurricane Dorian caught residents of Grand Bahama Island off guard. Several feet of water reached areas that had never been flooded before, including the Humane Society of Grand Bahamas. Sadly, dozens of animals drowned. However, it could have been worse if not for the efforts of some of the workers who stayed behind and even a selfless pit bull mix.

Workers at the Humane Society in Grand Bahama fought back tears as they cleaned up after Dorian’s storm surge flooded one of the only places on the island for pets to seek refuge during hurricanes.

After surviving several hurricanes without any issues, the workers at Humane Society in Grand Bahama thought they would be okay through Hurricane Dorian.

“We were not in a mandatory evacuation zone. We’ve boarded animals through three other hurricanes, including Matthew, with no flooding issues whatsoever,” Tip Burrows, Humane Society of Grand Bahama executive director, told AccuWeather National Reporter Jonathan Petramala.

“We thought we were clear, but we weren’t.”

With Dorian bearing down on Grand Bahama as an intense Category 5 hurricane, some pet owners turned to the Humane Society as there were no pet-friendly shelters on the island. It was presumed safe due in part to the way it was built specifically with storm surge in mind.

”When the Humane Society built this property in 2008, they filled the land 10 feet higher. The buildings, they put those 6 to 8 feet above that. It shows just how high the surge was," Petramala explained.

Unfortunately, this was not enough to hold back the wrath of Dorian.

The inside of the Humane Society in Grand Bahama after Hurricane Dorian. Marks on the wall show how high the storm surge reached during the worst of the storm. (AccuWeather / Jonathan Petramala)

The six workers who stayed behind to ride out the storm with the animals worked frantically to save as many as they could before it was too late.

“[We] saw it getting into the building, saw it getting so high you try [to] save some animals and get them on higher ground, then you have to try to save yourself,” Alpdio Johnson told AccuWeather.

Workers had almost no time to open the kennels and move as many animals to safety that they could before they themselves needed to climb into the attic of the building to escape the deadly grip of the rushing storm surge.

“The water was coming so fast and it was rising so high, this was our only chance,“ Kay Williams, a Humane Society worker, said.

“Crying and screaming and we know that they needed help, but we couldn’t help them. That was the most heart breaking,” Felicia Telfort, a Humane Society Worker, told AccuWeather.

Because of how fast the flood waters rose, Williams had to leave her three dogs behind. But when she was able to safely climb down from the attic, she found all three of her dogs had survived the storm.

“I met my dog trying to hold up two shih tzus from drowning. She could have saved herself but she noticed that they were in danger, so she was at the bottom trying to hold them up [above the water] and trying to hold them up on her two shoulders,” Williams said, referring to her pit bull mix, Libby, and the two little pups, Tinkerbell and Muffin, she saved.

"This is our hero that saved our babies," said Felicia Telfort, another worker at the shelter, giving Libby a deserving scratch on the neck.

Kay Williams in blue, Felicia Telfort in pink, both workers at the Grand Bahama Humane Society, play with Libby, the pit bull mix they say saved two shih tzuhs, Tinkerbell and Muffin, from drowning. (AccuWeather / Jonathan Petramala)

For Williams’ dogs, their will to live was stronger than Dorian, but unfortunately that was not the case for all of the animals.

By the time that the storm surge had retreated, it had claimed the lives of more than 100 dogs, including at least 30 that were being boarded. Seven cats also lost their lives in the deluge, but many were able to climb high in the cattery just out of reach of the storm surge.

“It’s a heavy burden and we’re all just trying to push through,” Burrows said.

Reporting by Jonathan Petramala from the Bahamas.