Animal Victims of Hurricane Charley
WHITFIELD: Many days of hard work ahead in southwest Florida as the folks there continue to sweep up after Hurricane Charley. The lights are still off for thousands. However, Sanibel Island residents know now what their properties look like after surveying some damage yesterday. Experts figure $7.4 billion in damage to insured properties alone, and state agricultural officials put the loss to Florida's citrus crop at $150 million. Many of those displaced, however, by Charley, have four legs, wet whiskers, and a major case of confusion. Tampa/St. Pete animal shelters are overflowing with rescued animals. New York's North Shore Animal League is taking two vans of cats back to their Long Island adoption facility and maybe coming back for even more. Meanwhile, the University of Florida in Gainesville has dispatched a triage team to staff a veterinary hospital on wheels. Dr. Jennifer Maners joins us on the telephone from Wauchula, Florida to tell us more about their mission of mercy for the stranded animals. And Dr. Maners, what kinds of injuries are you seeing in these pets?</s>DR. JENNIFER MANERS, VETERINARIAN: Well, we're seeing an awful lot of heat stroke and dehydration, and then, just what you would expect -- animals that have experienced bodily trauma, and those are what are coming into the center right now. Right now, we're actually at the Barto (ph) Agricultural Center. Our group, which is the Code 3 Associates and the University of Florida veterinary staff, we are about to leave this area and we are heading down to another region that is in desperate need of our help.</s>WHITFIELD: And so, for a lot of these animals that are physically injured, many of them are probably already exhibiting some sorts of signs of mental trauma. How do you treat that?</s>MANERS: Well, with animals, some of them, it's best if you simply leave them alone. That's when they do best. Others just the attention that they need. We are not the only animal care staff down here. There's a huge number of volunteers, and they are providing more of the emotional needs for the animals down here. So, at this center, they're being well cared for.</s>WHITFIELD: In so many cases, people are wondering how is it that so many animals got separated from their owners. I know one of the stories is that many owners weren't allowed to take their pets into shelters for humans, and so they had to leave their pets at home. Is that what makes up about the majority of these stranded pets?</s>MANERS: I can't tell you that that makes up the majority of them. Certainly, the animals that we're seeing have been separated from their families. I can tell you that we've had quite a few animals reunited with their owners already here. So that does make up a large portion of them. Some of them were just very unfortunate. I hear that the local humane shelter was badly damaged, so we have a lot of animals that actually were displaced from a humane shelter.</s>WHITFIELD: What about larger animals, farm animals, horses? We've seen a lot of pictures of them.</s>MANERS: Yeah, and the area we're getting ready to move to, we've been told, has more of the large animals there that are in need of medical attention. At this facility, very few large animals have come to this facility. I should mention that the agriculture center that we're at is pretty much on the outermost fringe of the worst of the damage. So where we will be going a little later today is deeper into the damage, and I think we're going to be seeing a lot more of the large animals at that time.</s>WHITFIELD: Dr. Jennifer Maners, thanks so much for joining us, and good luck to you in your continued travels to help rescue some of these abandoned pets -- Kyra.</s>PHILLIPS: Other news across America now. Talk about an unwelcome wakeup call. The lid blew around 4:00 a.m. on this Duke- powered natural gas storage facility in Moss Bluff, Texas -- minus the music there. No injuries reported, but houses within a one-mile radius around the site were ordered evacuated. A spokesperson says that fire poses no threat to the public. Now, if you've ever whistled the theme to "The Magnificent Seven," well, you know the work of Albert Bernstein. He scored dozens of films in a career that spanned seven decades, earning an Oscar, an Emmy, and plenty of other recognition along the way. Bernstein died yesterday at his California home at the age of 82. And a little something for all of you out there with teenage daughters. A Columbia University survey shows teenage girls who date boys two or more years older are much likely to abuse drugs or alcohol. The good news: The survey also shows the majority of teens welcome their parents guidance on these issues.</s>WHITFIELD: Well, sans the music, getting help to fight the battle of the bulge.</s>JIMMIE SANDERS: I always thought I couldn't get in control of it. And after so long, so many years, I can't, I can't do it.</s>WHITFIELD: An experimental approach that could make weight loss surgery more affordable. That's straight ahead. A song inspired by war gives soldiers the inspiration to be safe and get home. We'll talk with the songwriter and a serviceman who got the musical message.