Thurs, June 19. I'm flying into Chicago from Best Friends for a members meeting tomorrow. As we start the descent, we're over Iowa and this, or something just like this, is what I'm seeing out of the window.

(I can't get to my own camera since I'm in a window seat and have already bothered a large and rather grumpy person several times. So this pic is from the U.S. Civil Air Patrol. But it's exactly what it looked like.)

The photo is of the town of Oakville, which is where the Best Friends rescue team is being deployed. Rich Crook and Ethan Gurney are veterans of the Katrina rescue, along with volunteer Barbara Davis. So far, most of their work is focused on rescuing cats who were left behind as families evacuated and are calling in to local authorities, desperate to be reunited. Most were able to take their dogs with them.

The other animals most affected are pigs, and their situation is tragic. Thousands of them, mainly in fenced areas where they can't get out on their own. Some have escaped and are climbing up on the levees, but this is considered a public danger, since climbing up onto the levees can cause damage. So they're beginning to be shot. And to rescue them from the farms would require major resources and big boats. So we're doing what we can with the pigs, but it's not much.

Not that the cats are an easy rescue. They're hiding in barns, in trees, in attics, and they're very afraid. And our folks are all dressed up in red rubber, waterproof suits in stifling heat. You have to paddle to each house, wade in, find the cat, catch the cat, get the cat into a crate and into the boat, and paddle back out to the shore. It's exhausting, but every life saved is a triumph.

There are some great pics. Everyone's favorite is Ethan and Rigby, who was one of the first kitties to be reunited with his family.

You can see more of Rigby and follow the rest of the rescue in the team's blog here.

Landing at O'Hare a half hour or so later, I took the shuttle into town and checked in at the Allegro Hotel, where we're holding the members meeting tomorrow. 

Next: At the TV studio with dogs