HIGH & DRY
Land donated to end flood threat at Orphans of the Storm shelter
When Gladine Wiles opened an animal shelter in Armstrong County in 1969, she named it after a 1921 silent film by D.W. Griffith, Orphans of the Storm.
She couldn’t know the name would become eerily prophetic. For the last 14 years, the shelter near Kittanning has flooded almost every year. No cats or dogs died because as many as 100 volunteers always mobilized to evacuate the orphans, clean up the mess and move the animals back in.
That tradition will end soon because the Armstrong County commissioners have donated 17 acres of land on higher ground as a site for a new shelter.
“This is a dream come true,” said Beth Ann Galbraith, shelter manager and daughter of Mrs. Wiles. “Many tears have been shed because my mother is not here to see this happen. She worked for the animals her entire life.”
Mrs. Wiles died on May 20, 2019. She was 93.
“The timing was right, and this is just meant to be,” said Don Myers, chairman of the Armstrong County Board of Commissioners. “A lot of people are behind Orphans of the Storm.”
The land donation was a “team effort” with fellow commissioners Jason Renshaw and Pat Fabian.
“This land will not flood. The shelter is raising money to build, and the commission will be happy to see them break ground for the new shelter,” Mr. Myers said.
The nonprofit’s board of directors has been raising money for years to build a new shelter, Mrs. Galbraith said. Not having to buy land should speed up the process. Mrs. Galbraith hopes a new shelter could be ready in two years.
On a recent Day of Giving, animal lovers donated $33,000 to Orphans of the Storm.
The donated vacant land is on State Route 85, not far from the current shelter. The current shelter is also on State Route 85 on a small parcel leased from the Rayburn Township Water Authority. A creek below the building and a pond above it both flood during heavy rains.
Nighttime rains have caused Mrs. Galbraith and her husband, Brian, to wake up and race to the shelter multiple times each year. Not all of the trips were false alarms.
The worst flood happened
March 28, not long after COVID-19 quarantines and shutdowns started. The water inside was waist-deep. Nearly 100 people showed up to evacuate 50 animals, including cats, dogs and five litters of puppies. All were sheltered that night in stables at the Crooked Creek Horse Park near Ford City. Many others were safe in foster homes.
There were so many volunteers in the days after that “cars were lined up as far as I could see,” Ms. Galbraith said. “I had to go to my car and cry.”
“Even with so many people in need, people drove from Pittsburgh and all over to bring crates, blankets, pet food and other supplies,” she said.
Many shelters have run out of adoptable pets during the pandemic, but Orphans of the Storm always has plenty. Right now they have five litters of puppies and a pregnant dog who will deliver soon. Although the shelter offers spay and neuter clinics, there are always puppies and kittens available, Mrs. Galbraith said.
The shelter is currently filled with many dogs and cats in foster homes. Orphans of the Storm always has 50-100 adoptable dogs and the same number of cats, Mrs. Galbraith said.
The shelter is closed to the public because of the coronavirus, but appointments can be made to view and adopt animals. Go to www.orphansofthestormpa.org to see available animals. To set up an appointment, email orphansofthestorm@hotmail.com or call 724-548-4520.