Hurricane Katrina affected a lot of people in the South.
More than 1,400 miles away, the historic storm of 2005 also affected Scott Facey, a local firefighter at the time who now works as a valued member of the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Maintenance Department.
Since Katrina, Mr. Facey has unselfishly left the safe confines of his home to help stray animals and reunite people with their lost pets in the aftermaths of major storms throughout the country.
"I find it rewarding," Mr. Facey said.
Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Matthew, the tornado in Joplin, Missouri . . . Mr. Facey has seen their horrible destruction firsthand. In all, he has been deployed to more than 20 devastated areas for the sole purpose of helping animals and people he's never met.
"Being a firefighter, I had done a lot of rescue work and a lot of training with different types of rescues," said Mr. Facey, a Town of Wilbraham firefighter for 35 years. "Now I rescue animals instead of people. It works well for me."
Volunteering for American Humane, Mr. Facey was called to Texas following the late-August flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey. He was stationed at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, where dogs, horses, cats and birds were brought to be cared for, and in best scenarios, reconnected with their owners. With 11 other volunteers, Mr. Facey took care of 300 dogs that were either abandoned or separated from their owners. For a week he worked from 7 a.m. until 9:30 p.m.
"The most intense thing for me this time was we definitely had some animals that were hurt in the flood waters," he explained. "Seeing them have to sit there with the pain and injuries they had, and trying to make them feel better was kind of gut wrenching."
He also watched helicopters from a nearby airbase take off day and night to perform life-threatening rescue missions. After a while, the entire experience can, and does, take a toll on a person.
So why do it? Why leave home, travel hundreds (sometimes thousands) of miles to work long hours for no pay without a familiar face in sight?
"I've always had a feeling of wanting to help the local community, which is why I became a firefighter," Mr. Facey said. "I've always had an affinity for animals, which is why I got into this. But it's helping your fellow man. All those pets are owned by someone, and you know someone cares about them. I want to make sure they have the best chance to get back home."