Hurricane Dorian: Woman in Bahamas houses nearly 100 dogs to protect them from storm

NASSAU, Bahamas - A woman in Nassau, Bahamas, opened her home to nearly 100 dogs to protect them from the devastation of Hurricane Dorian, which struck the region as a Category 5 hurricane.

Chella Phillips posted photos on her Facebook page on Sunday, showing dozens of dogs walking or lying around her home. She said she took in 97 dogs and that 79 of the canines were just in her bedroom.

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“It has been insane since last night, poop and piss nonstop but at least they are respecting my bed and nobody has dared to jump in,” she said. “We have barricaded the refuge and nobody is outside. The music is playing in all directions of the house and the AC is blowing for them.”

Phillips said she brought in dogs that needed help and who appeared to be sick. She said crates were donated by people in an effort to help her rescue operation.

On Monday, Phillips provided an update that the storm flooded her home and cut off electricity. She said she and her brother have had little to no sleep as they used buckets to get water out of the home once their pumps failed.

“I pray for the other islands who have unimaginable damages and I don’t see how any dogs or any living being could have survived outside. My heart goes out to them,” she said.

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Phillips added that services to her home were down and TVs she used to keep some of the sick dogs distracted were no longer working.

Her rescue is called The Voiceless Dogs of Nassau, Bahamas, and she said since it was started four years ago, nearly 1,000 dogs have been rescued.

She also shared an ongoing fundraiser on her personal page as well as the rescue’s page. The goal is to raise $20,000 and as of Monday, more than $17,400 was donated.

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Hurricane Dorian, which is barreling toward Florida and other parts of the southern East Coast, became a powerful Category 5 storm before it struck the northern Bahamas, after which it was downgraded to a still-dangerous Category 4.

Considered one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever recorded, Dorian wrecked homes, shredded roofs, tumbled cars and toppled power poles. The storm’s top sustained winds reached as high as 180 mph and then weakened slightly to 165 mph by Monday afternoon.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm appeared to crawl west at only 1 mph.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.