Life can be a little challenging in the wake of a strong thunderstorm, just ask the volunteers at a nonprofit cat rescue center in Beavercreek, where they are working to take care of their charges while the power is out.
Despite a tree falling onto its roof during Tuesday’s high winds and rain, the damages were not bad at the Tenth Life no-kill shelter on Indian Ripple Road.
But the din and destruction during the storm scared more than a few of the 500 cats that live there.
“Ones that would be very friendly weren’t friendly,” said Director Marsha Kerns. “They were just hiding someplace they felt safe because they had heard all the noise and the wind was so strong that that frightened them too.”
Several trees came down during the storm, which prevented volunteers from getting to the facility on Tuesday.
Kerns said one volunteer found a way.
“[He] let us know that the road was blocked, came around a different direction and he helped to clear the road so that he and we could get through before the county even got here to clean the road up,” she said.
Without power, volunteers are carrying in water because the facility’s water supply is pumped up from a well.
They are also taking measures to preserve vaccinations and blood test samples that are stored in a refrigerator.
“We will be taking all the vaccines home with us and all the blood slides so that they’re not compromised,” Kerns said.
Kerns has run the nonprofit at the Indian Ripple location for 30 years. Tuesday’s storm reminded her of Hurricane Ike in 2008, which left a hole in the roof and no power for two weeks.
“We just kind of worry every time there is a storm, but we have to go through and clean up all the debris that’s left and get it taken away,” Kerns said.
