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The relief efforts in Picher are going far beyond just providing food. This afternoon, animal aid workers are still actively searching for dogs, cats and other animals displaced by the storm.
A short drive can show you how devastating the storm was. You've heard about the people, but what about the pets? You can see cat food, but the cat is nowhere to be found.
It's not just cats, but dogs are left homeless too, just like their owners.
"When they dug her out of her house, she was covered in mud head to toe. Then they brought her dogs in."
Dr. David Prescott has been treating traumatized four-legged patients. Most of them are okay.
"Scared like this one, scared but a few broken bones as well," Prescott says. "But, most part just minor wounds."
The Commerce Police Department and volunteers are collecting them all, tagging them with ID bracelets so the owners can pick them up. They'll keep these guys in one place -- the animal shelter -- under lock and key.
"There's absolutely more out there," says Sergeant Ernie Shelby. "Some we just haven't found yet. Some hard to catch."
And Jean Eslick with the Animal Welfare Society is on a mission to find them. She's dishing up food, hoping to attract the strays hiding in the debris.
"They're gonna start looking for their families," Eslick says. "But, they are just disoriented. So, setting up feeding stations gives them something to go to every day, like your home get fed and watered and you start to trust again."
She will come back twice a day, checking the bowls, looking for signs of life. The ones that come around have a few friends waiting for them and hopefully a family trying to find them.
If you lost your pet you might find them at the Commerce Police Station or the animal shelter. They should keep them for about two weeks.
If you or someone you know lost a pet in the storm, you can ask any police officer around the disaster site. And, if you'd like to help with searching for the animals, call 918-542-3413.
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