Pet shelter aids W.Va. flood victims

Ellicott City business sees opportunity to help an area with which it has had ties

Paul Morabito and his daughter Olivia pulled up Saturday morning to the Small Miracles Cat and Dog Rescue in Ellicott City to drop off clothes, board games and stuffed animals to donate.

The family sorted through their home that morning to find items to donate to families in West Virginia devastated by flooding from heavy rainfall on June 23 that killed more than 20 people and destroyed roads and bridges. Thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed, leaving hundreds of people living in shelters and hotels across the state.

Ten-year-old Olivia and her younger sister parted with some of their board games, she said. “A lot of books that I don’t read anymore,” she said.

The shelter’s owner, Moira Liskovec, organized the collection of household items for residents in West Virginia, where the shelter receives many of its dogs, partnering with the Paws Squad organization in Morgantown.

Liskovec said she felt compelled to organize a collection for those in need. “We don’t realize how lucky we are,” she said.

Small Miracles volunteer Steve Stanton regularly makes the three-hour trek to pick up dogs in need of a home.

Stanton, a retired Howard County police officer, said he suffers from PTSD following an attack by a suspect while attempting to make an arrest in Columbia in 2000. He has left the agency and continues to struggle with injuries from the incident. He said the regular drive to West Virginia is therapeutic for him — and is about as far as he can drive due to his back injury during the arrest.

In addition to transporting dogs from West Virginia, he drove van-loads of water to the state in 2014 after a chemical spill in the Elk River that left about 300,000 people across nine counties without safe drinking water.

“You never know when you are going to be in a situation where you need help,” he said.

Stanton said a number of local businesses have offered cash donations, which were used to buy tools and other requested items.

Stanton said many flood victims are still trying to assess the damage to their homes and businesses. The tools will help with cleanup before they start to rebuild. He said tarps and plastic totes are also requested for those who are trying to salvage items.

“You’ve got to get people back on their feet,” he said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency added two more counties Saturday to a list of 12 total that are eligible for disaster relief. Since the flooding, 44 of the state’s 55 counties have been declared in a state of emergency.

Liskovec said the donations mostly included non-perishable food, bottled water, light bulbs, first-aid supplies, shovels and rakes.

Eventually, Liskovec said, they will start collecting items for pets of residents affected by flooding.

As people carried trash bags full of clothes and other items into the shelter, Liskovec looked over a collection of teddy bears she had bagged up from her own home.

Children can hold them, she said — it’s “some kind of security.”

A teddy bear in a maroon dress she had given to her daughter years back had just been sitting on a shelf. She straightened the bear’s skirt and placed it at the top of the bag before loading it into the back of the van.

Liskovec said she will continue to collect items for West Virginia residents in the coming months. Those interested in donating can call 410-274-3530 or visit the shelter at 10236 Baltimore National Pike.