Thanks to everyone who sent me leads regarding possible help with the animals she had to leave behind. I passed all the relevant information along to noahswish.org, and I have just received the following reply:
I have forwarded your request to our people in the field and they will do the best they can. Our thoughts are with you and your friend.
— Dianne Montague
But I don't want anyone getting their hopes up. I've been told that the Humane Society will not be permitted to enter NOLA for the purpose of rescuing animals, and I doubt that Noah's Wish will have any better luck. Speaking with people today and reading posts and comments, I got the impression that a lot of folks online just don't comprehend the severity of the disaster that has struck the city. There's virtually no way in or out. Those people still there will die if they aren't evacuated soon. The water is still rising. I watched a video clip today of the moat that has formed around the Superdome, and there was a man wandering aimlessly through the filthy water, shirtless and dazed, clearly exhausted. It was a terrible, heart-breaking sight, and it seemed, for me, to bring this whole thing down to a single, terribly clear point, though I can't seem to put it into words.