UPDATE: HURRICANE BERYL

IMPORTANT UPDATE

Here are the final pieces of what upgrades we still need to be completely repaired from storm damage:

Dog General Population Ceiling Tile Replacement
The ceiling in our main dog kennels is still damaged from water intrusion during the storms. Although we purchased new ceiling tiles, the old ones are still water-soaked and waiting to be replaced. We’re short $9,420 to cover the labor costs for replacing the tiles. We’ve already spent $1,938.80 on the tiles themselves, even though we didn’t have the funds to fully cover this cost. This repair is important to provide a safe, dry environment for the dogs and prevent further damage.

Concrete Pads Outside Our Three Building Exits
Our building exits currently lack proper protection against water, and the gravel outside has worn away, leaving us vulnerable to future storms and flooding. Installing concrete pads at each vulnerable doorway would create a solid barrier against water intrusion and future flooding. The estimated cost for this project is $1,400. This upgrade is essential to keep our facility accessible and safe during inevitable bad weather.

Air Conditioning and Heating System Repairs
Our entire AC and heating system is old and in need of significant work. The current units are unlikely to last much longer, and they are critical for maintaining a comfortable, safe environment for the animals and staff. The estimated cost for replacing the AC/heater system and repairing the air ducts is $60,000. Delaying this work could lead to system failure, leaving us without climate control, which is a risk we can’t afford.

Awnings for the Side of Our Building
We need to install permanent awnings on the side of our building to protect against rust and erosion caused by the land’s slope. Also, every time it rains or gets too cold, we have to rent expensive tents to shelter the animals during transport mornings. This adds unnecessary costs and isn’t a sustainable solution. The awnings would provide long-term protection, eliminating the need for these rentals and helping to prevent further damage to the building. The estimated cost for this project is upwards of $42,000, but it will save us money in the long run by reducing rental costs and maintenance.

Commercial Washer
For years, we’ve been using standard household washers, but they simply aren’t built to handle the amount of laundry we do. After many tireless cycles and costly repairs, one of the two has finally conked out. Now, we urgently need to upgrade to a commercial-grade washer that can keep up with our demanding rescue operations. To purchase this new washer, we need to raise $10,105. It’s a big expense, but this washer will be a game changer for us, helping us efficiently clean and care for the animals we rescue every single day.

You can help by donating here for a new washer!

Our clinic and boarding facility is still standing, and all of our pets and team members are safe. Sadly, that’s where the good news ends. 

Back in May when the Derecho wind storm ripped through Houston, our facility suffered severe damages. The roof was ripped off and the interior suffered quite a bit of water damage. 

Despite all of this, wonderful folks came to our rescue and donated towards our hefty insurance deductible and donated supplies to prepare for storm season. We immediately started the process of filing a claim with our insurance and made temporary repairs to our facility to hold us over until repairs began. We kept operating for the most part as soon as power came back on five days after the fact despite all the damage to our facility; we couldn’t let innocent animals lose their lives just because our facility wasn’t in great condition. 

Unfortunately, due to numerous and ongoing insurance approval delays, we weathered Beryl without having any of those repairs even started. 

Fast forward to today – as soon as Beryl passed, we headed to our facility to find that the damages done during the derecho wind storm have become even more severe. We’ve got water actively coming down in a few areas and our entire main dog kennel area has severely soaked insulation and ceilings. All the doors and entrances to the building had extensive water come in from under the doors. 

Realistically, we don’t have a full scope of all the damages just yet as we are without power, like most of Houston. 

At this point, we don’t yet know what our next few months will look like. We hope insurance will approve the damages done during Derecho, but now Beryl, and with an especially nasty hurricane season ahead, we are hoping and praying for animal lovers to help us make some much-needed, overdue upgrades outside of what will be covered by insurance. 

We hate to even have to think about these things while most Houstonians suffered damages themselves, but we can’t spare any time when so many pets in need depend on RPM to save their lives – 89,000+ dogs and cats to date. 

Here’s a recap of some of the major issues we hope to tackle before the next inevitable hurricane comes our way:

1. We had existing structural purlin damages that will not be covered by insurance. This was here before the storms and was revealed during damage inspections. Replacing multiple purlins in our attic space is absolutely critical for the integrity of our building and the safety of both our team and the pets we save. The initial quote to repair these is anticipated to be $10,000. 

2. All four entrances to our facility have water that comes in every time it rains heavily. We are hoping to build up concrete pads and awnings at each entrance to help protect from water coming in through the doors. We don’t yet have a quote for the concrete pads and awnings. 

3. The insulation in our entire building is poorly done or completely nonexistent. We’d like to properly insulate the entire building, which is long overdue and causing issues with our AC units and electricity bills. The initial quote for insulating everything properly is $16,131.

4. The front red portion of our building had quite a bit of old damage. There is old rot that we found after the derecho storm, which means it has been here for quite some time and won’t be covered by insurance. To remove and replace the front roof over just this portion of our building, including new insulation, is going to cost $5,844. 

We know Houston is in shambles and many of you are reading this without power yourselves. We hope everyone suffered minimal damages and that you and your pets stayed safe. With that, we humbly come to you asking for help to cover these serious issues to prepare for storm season, which is off to a horribly damaging start. We just can’t let this hit impact our ability to keep saving lives and hope you will join us in this fight. 

Why I Foster…

Rescued Pets Movement

The Jack C. Alexander Building, 2317 w. 34th St., Houston, TX. 77018

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