With the brunt of the NSW floods hitting Wagga Wagga today, hundreds of homes are already inundated with water, thousands of people have already been evacuated,  and if the Murrumbidgee river reaches expected levels today, hundreds more homes will be affected – resulting in displaced residents for days and probably weeks.

Whilst SES and emergency services do an excellent job at evacuation and helping people affected, one often overlooked problem is what happens to the hundreds of pets which are also impacted.

Evacuation centres are not usually able to cater for pets, so in many cases loved animals and pets just have to be left behind – which on top of everything else is a huge emotional burden for flood victims to bear. Even once the water levels drop, it can be weeks before home owners are able top return to there homes and start to return to normality.

Pet Carers are desperately needed to help look after displaced pets – for a few days or a few weeks whilst their owners get their lives back together.

If you live in or near flood affected areas of NSW, but are not directly affected, and can look after a displaced pet (or two), please create a HelpOut listing (for Free) to let flood victims know where you are and what types of pets you can care for.

There are many other simple and practical ways you may be able to help flood victims in the coming days and weeks… a simple home cooked meal, use of a washing machine or dryer, and even spreading the word that the HelpOut service is available can all go along way to ease the burden on those directly affected.