Places open their stalls for Hurricane Ian evacuees
Posted: Sep 28, 2022 / 06:10 PM CDT
Updated: Sep 28, 2022 / 08:19 PM CDT
WIREGRASS, Ala. (WDHN) — Hurricane Ian has now made landfall and evacuees are making their way into the Wiregrass.
Some evacuees are even bringing along some four-legged friends.
As you can imagine, some of these four-legged critters' are too big for a kennel
The Houston County Farm Center, the Dothan Boots Saddle's Club, and the Southern Cross Ranch have opened their stalls.
The Seat's have been watching the weather over the past few days.
When they saw the storm was tracking towards their house
They decided it was time to leave with their two dogs and five horses
"We kind of thought we would go to Ocala, which is inland from us, but then they started forecasting like 90-mile-an-hour winds in Ocala," Evacuee Roger Seat said. "So that's when we just said we would get out of here."
The Seat's drove through the night, to try and avoid traffic on the roadways
Which they did for the most part.
Groups in the Wiregrass prepare to provide hurricane relief
"From Ocala, to just north of Gainesville it was still moving 60-65 mph, but it was pretty much bumper to bumper," Seat said.
So they brought their group from Crystal River, Florida to the Southern Cross Ranch in Colombia.
Which is one of three places in the Wiregrass that have opened their stalls for cattle and horses.
The seat's found Southern Star Ranch as a place to lodge their horses through a website.
"There are different websites that you can go around and find 'horse motels,'" Seat said.
So far, 14 horses in total have been boarded at the Southern Star Ranch.
The Houston County Farm Center currently doesn't have any cattle boarded yet, but they say that the stalls are prepped and ready for visitors.
The farm center does ask that livestock owners be prepared to care for their animals.
While staff and volunteers are away
Dothan preps for hurricane evacuees
Dothan Boots and Saddles club hasn't boarded any animals either as of yet but is open for horses needing a stall.
All three spaces still have room for Hurricane Ian evacuees, but they are beginning to fill up.
For more Hurricane Ian Resources click here.