Dozens of adoptable pets arrive in California to avoid Hurricane Ida

A plane carrying 60 adoptable dogs and cats from Louisiana landed in San Diego on Saturday ahead of Hurricane Ida making landfall, CBS San Diego affiliate KFMB-TV reported. The animals arrived in the city of El Cajon with the help of non-profit Greater Good Charities.

"In Louisiana and Mississippi, they were maxed out to capacity. Kennels were full and kennels were lining hallways," Jessica Gercke, public relations coordinator for the Helen Woodward Animal Center of San Diego, told KFMB-TV. "Due to Hurricane Ida, they had to evacuate."

The operation appeared to be a lifeline as Louisiana prepared for Ida, which made landfall as a monster Category 4 hurricane with with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. The storm hit Louisiana's shores on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and government officials have already declared a state of emergency there.

"It's not only the pets it's the people. Yesterday, I had three different shelter directors at different times just breakdown," said Erin Robbins of Greater Good Charities. "We called Helen Woodward and San Diego Humane Society and asked if they had any space to empty them out."

KFMB-TV said that pilots voluntarily flew out to help the animals as volunteers from Camp Run-A-Mutt in San Diego helped carry them to vehicles to take to local facilities.

Editor's Note: A prior version of this story linked to the wrong Camp Run-A-Mutt location. It has since been fixed.

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