By MADDY VITALE
Preparing for the Jan. 28-29 blizzard meant the Humane Society of Ocean City’s team needed to move fast. They had to make sure that their 70-plus adoptable cats and dogs had ample food, bedding and stayed safe during the storm.
So, for 36 hours prior to the storm, Executive Director Bill Hollingsworth and his staff got to work.
“We made sure we had all of our supplies. We had a plan all put together and we were ready to go,” he said in an interview with OCNJDaily.com.
The consensus among the staff was that the best thing to do, considering the forecast, was to stay overnight at the shelter, which turned into two nights for some of the four people who stayed.
It was more of a campout than a hardship, albeit it was a bit tough to get a good night’s sleep, Hollingsworth noted with a laugh.
“The cats cuddled up with me, but they kept waking me up. I couldn’t get much sleep,” Hollingsworth explained. “They seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was fun. Our vet brought us cookies. It was a sleepover.”
Maybe some restless sleep for some staff, but the animals slept well, he noted.
“We had TVs set up for all of the animals. I really think they enjoyed it,” Hollingsworth said.
In addition to Hollingsworth, other dedicated employees stayed the night or worked tirelessly before the blizzard and also helped with snow cleanup.
Courtney Venzie, the shelter manager, and Deanna Dolan, an assistant shelter manager, stayed for the storm’s duration.
“I came in on Friday morning and didn’t leave until Sunday,” Hollingsworth said.
Phil Bellucci, director of operations, and George Muller, an assistant shelter manager, did not stay overnight, but were integral parts to getting the shelter prepared for the storm and cleanup after.
“I am not surprised that everyone pitched in. Any time there has been any issue or crisis, they have been there for us, time and time again,” Bellucci said. “We have a great team.”
Work had to be done to prepare for the storm. One of the most important things involved the dog runs.
“We put tarps over the kennels for the dogs to be able to go out into their runs when it stopped snowing,” Hollingsworth said.
And when the snow did let up, Hollingsworth and the other employees shoveled out and cleared the sidewalks.
“That was the hardest part because of the winds,” Hollingsworth said.
When the storm was all over, the dogs were allowed to romp a bit in the snow and in their runs.
The cats, well, they continued to do their thing snuggling up with employees and playing, Hollingsworth said.
And worries about power outages were not a main concern during the storm because of new generators installed during the shelter’s remodeling last year.
Some of the updates included an expansive area for dog training and a reconfiguration of how the cats are housed.
“Part of the remodel was buying new generators,” said, Hollingsworth, who has been the executive director for 16 years. “It gave us confidence that we wouldn’t lose power in the blizzard.”
So many people offered to volunteer and help out.
“It’s nice to know that when the storm was approaching, I had so many employees saying they wanted to stay,” Hollingsworth noted. “It is my philosophy that I won’t ask someone to do something that I won’t do myself.”
This was not the first time HSOC staff stayed overnight for a storm. Prior to this blizzard, the most recent sleepover for shelter staff was in 2016 during the winter storm Jonas.
Jonas was also in January and caused severe flooding. During Sandy, the October 2012 hurricane that ravaged the coast, the shelter was evacuated, Hollingsworth pointed out.
He said the success of the shelter to be able to provide a safe place for the animals in times of storms is possible, in part, because of the excellent relationship HSOC has with the city.
“It is a community partnership,” Hollingsworth said. “I think it is the great relationship with the government of Ocean City that helps us do what we do. They make sure things are OK.”
Hollingsworth said Ocean City Business Administrator George Savastano called him to check on how things were going and asked if there was anything HSOC needed throughout the storm.
“It is that partnership, it is also a strong community and great volunteers that make us successful,” Hollingsworth said.
HSOC is located at 1 Shelter Road off Tennessee Avenue in Ocean City.
For more information about the HSOC or to donate visit www.hsocnj.org.
