When the floods from Hurricane Helene began overwhelming communities in Western North Carolina, Kaila Bess felt a sense of calling.
These were her people – a home away from home.
Bess, a 3L at Charleston School of Law, grew up in Murrells Inlet (outside of Myrtle Beach) and spent her summers playing and visiting family in the area.
“I have family in Tennessee, in East Tennessee, right above where the floods are,” she said. “I have spent most of my life going to Western North Carolina. So, for me, it hit home because these places … I had just been to like six months ago.”
She knew she had to do something to help, so she went to work using the people and resources in her sphere to assist the animal shelters being affected by the storms.
Bess, an animal lover and President of the Animal Defense Fund at the Law School, established a supply drive. Drop boxes were set up in the school and at eight area businesses back in her hometown of Murrell’s Inlet.
“What can I do to give back to that community that’s been so good to me?” said Bess. “I just wanted to do what I can.”
For two weeks, residents of Murrell’s Inlet and faculty, staff, alumni, and students of Charleston Law filled boxes of supplies, including food, water, crates, cleaning supplies, and related items, a literal truckload of supplies, directly to pet owners and shelters.
“There were animals everywhere,” said Bess. “The shelters were overrun with animals.”
Some animals were electronically chipped and could be matched with their owners thanks to the local police department, which had a microchip scanner. That was step one.
Step two was a lot harder. “We couldn’t always locate the owners,” she said. “These animals that also belong to these people that need to be found.”
Bess faced another challenge: communication.
“When I was initially trying to figure out how to get the supplies into the area, it was extremely difficult,” she said. “There was no communication. I was reaching out to another nonprofit in North Carolina that oversees all the shelters in North Carolina.”
Unless you had approval, getting into the affected areas was impossible, so when Bess finally connected with Paws of War, a veteran-led animal rescue, she organized a drop outside the affected area.
The barriers did not stop Kaila Bess. She loaded up the truck and drove 4+ hours to deliver the supplies.
The storm has passed, the news media have moved on to the next, but still, residents of Western North Carolina need help.
If people want to take the next step to help a family locate their pet or stock up on much-needed supplies, we have included links to organizations that can use your support.
