Nearly 80 animals are being evacuated out of three Florida shelters as Hurricane Dorian approaches. The Michigan Humane Society will receive the animals and distribute them to their partners in the state.
A rescue flight, which is funded and coordinated by the Humane Society of the United States, will leave Jacksonville Sunday morning with cats and mostly large-breed dogs who were up for adoption.
By moving these animals, it will increase the capacity of the shelters as they prepare for possible flooding and structural damage. The shelters are also anticipating an influx of animals displaced by the storm.
"A lot of these animals are big dogs with lots of love to give, and they will make fantastic family members," said Kate MacFall, Florida senior state director for the Humane Society of the United States.
As of Saturday, Hurricane Dorian is a Category 4 storm and it has prompted evacuations in the Bahamas.
Forecasters expect Dorian, which packed 150 mph winds, to hit the northwestern part of the Bahamas on Sunday before curving upward. The storm's slow march north could spare a direct hit in the U.S. but still threatens Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas with powerful winds and rising ocean water that causes potentially deadly flooding.
While the animals are coming to Michigan, Consumers Energy is sending Michigan crews to Florida ahead of the hurricane.
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