Animals Suffer From Nature’s Wrath

We all dread the onslaught of natural disasters. We are forced out of our comfort zones especially if there is a need to evacuate in the case of flash floods and severe flooding. Everyone is focused on saving as many people as possible out of harm’s way and many often forget that there are also other species that needs saving – our animal friends. Devoted pet owners don’t just leave their homes without their pets in tow. However, there are some that completely forget about the animals they leave behind as they make their way to safety.

If you’ve seen the news lately, you’ll not only see people in evacuation centers or homes/properties submerged in flood but of poor and helpless animals left to fend for themselves in the face of the harsh elements. Fortunately, some are saved by animal shelters before it is too late. However, because the recent hurricanes proved to be really powerful ones, even the shelters themselves weren’t safe and animals in their care had to endure for a while as they and their carers battered the storm and the painful recovery that follows.

The news of dogs left tied up, abandoned by owners in Palm Beach County to fend for themselves during Hurricane Irma, disturbed many of you, and us.

The question .. will Palm Beach County hold those pet owners accountable?  

It's not something the animals asked for, to be abandoned by their families, for a storm. 

"Absolutely unacceptable. People need to be responsible pet owners in this community," says State Attorney Dave Aronberg.

"The animals should be a valued part of your family and they should be a part of your plan," says Animal Care and Control Capt. Dave Walesky. 

(Via: http://www.abcactionnews.com/weather/hurricane/animals-abandonedleft-chained-during-hurricane-irma-will-owners-be-held-accountable)

While it is understandable that pet owners are terrified for their lives that they leave home in a hurry to save themselves from whatever a hurricane like Harvey or Irma may bring, it is absolutely unacceptable for them to leave behind their furry friends. They signed up as pet owners and should likewise be responsible and held accountable for the safety and well-being of the animals in their care. They can’t just leave them behind without knowing what the elements have in store for all of us and for how long before they can come back home.

The flooding arrived Monday morning at the back door of Clay County Animal Care and Control — and within 45 minutes, the entire shelter was knee-deep in water.

As Hurricane Irma moved across Northeast Florida, entire neighborhoods disappeared under the storm’s flood waters. Rain and wind poured onto already saturated land — and rivers and lakes and creeks overflowed, unable to contain the sheer amount of water.

It was all hands on deck, said Christina Sutherin, the Clay County facility’s director.

“It all happened so quickly,” she added. “I have the most amazing staff ever. They left their families. They left their homes, dropped everything to come out. All they cared about was making sure our animals were safe.”

(Via: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2017-09-13/animal-shelters-seek-help-public-hurricane-irma-aftermath)

The shelters are also damaged as is the rest of the community, where the authorities estimate the damage left behind by both disasters to be over several billions of dollars. In the aftermath of the storms, it’s the flooding that makes recovery more challenging than it already is. With limited funds, most animal shelters struggle in securing the safety of all the animals in their care. More animals are even added into their custody as they rescued displaced animals abandoned by their owners that were out in the flooded streets.

Even wild animals were caught and rescued during the storm, not only those pets with owners. Animals can sense when danger is coming and many of them flee before disaster strikes but fortunately, most of them bounce back pretty well soon after while a handful is rescued and picked up by most local shelters.

The following blog post Animals Suffer From Nature’s Wrath was initially seen on PopEgo.com

source https://popego.com/animals-suffer-from-natures-wrath/

Hurricane Survivors Get Help From Charities

The entire world is aware of how two recent hurricanes left certain US states in a bad shape today. Texas and Florida residents were once again reminded of the power of Mother Nature’s wrath and many are quick to surmise that climate change may have a hand in this. It is not often that Americans experience natural calamities like these two, so it is a major eye opener for many especially the ones who had to go through the ordeal of the storm. The fear caused by the heavy rain and flooding forced people out of their homes with only the most important items in their possession without really knowing when they’ll be able to go home and bounce back.

The government is always ready to help its citizens but one can’t expect to receive everything they will ever need to recover from the state. After all, major public properties and infrastructures were also destroyed during the storm that the government has to fund and rebuild. Non-profit organizations pitch in to help and they have been of great help to each and every community for the longest time. They not only hand out relief goods but even aid in the relief and rescue operations.

More than 50 local and national charities have raised more than $350 million in the nearly three weeks since Hurricane Harvey struck the Texas Gulf Coast, and the disparate groups are trying to decide on priorities while some storm victims still await help.

Distrust of large charities such as the American Red Cross has driven many donors to smaller, local organizations. For instance, Houston Texans football star J.J. Watt has raised more than $30 million for his foundation, an effort he started by posting appeals on social media.

One donor to Watt's effort, Helen Vasquez, stood outside the Texans' stadium and said she had seen a Facebook post listing the salaries of executives at top national charities. She gave Watt $20 instead.

(Via: http://m.startribune.com/harvey-charities-raise-more-than-350m-in-less-than-3-weeks/444459993/?section=nation)

Charities help disaster survivors in every possible way you can ever imagine. Big charities like the Red Cross are all over the place while smaller ones also do their part and make a difference to people’s lives. During times of disasters, others who are unaffected by the tragedy do not hesitate in giving back to these charities in order to help them mobilize help where help is needed.

Hurricane Irma is no more, but the response and recovery to the devastation the storm left behind in Florida and in the Caribbean is fully underway.

The damage to some island nations in particular is difficult to comprehend. The small island of Barbuda had 90 percent of its structures damaged or destroyed, according to the Washington Post. Anguilla saw similar damage to its electricity infrastructure. On St. Martin, 70 percent of the homes had been damaged or destroyed, leaving tens of thousands in need of public shelter. A million people were without power in Puerto Rico, and millions more were without electricity in Florida, where the fiscal damage has not yet been calculated.

If you’re wondering what you can do, one easy way to pitch in is to give money to one or more of the many charities involved with the response and recovery. Here are some suggestions and a little guidance if you’re not sure where to start.

(Via: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/9/11/16287944/hurricane-irma-donations-charities-disaster-relief)

The survivors need your help now more than ever. You may not be able to extend help physically in aid of the recovery efforts but whatever amount you share can go a long way in uplifting the lives of these people who do how to move on from this tragedy. Giving financial donations to these charities or humanitarian organizations is perhaps the best thing you can do in helping another person in need. You may also donate in kind, although, some advised that monetary donations are better because of the challenge posed in transporting goods and clothing in the affected areas where most infrastructures have also been damaged by the hurricane.

Hurricane Survivors Get Help From Charities Read more on: The PopEgo.com Blog

source https://popego.com/hurricane-survivors-get-help-from-charities/

Wiping Your Computer Clean

The world we live in now is highly digital. It is inevitable for you to deal with tech gadgets in the course of your day because it is all over the place. And as such, we have also started to embrace more of these modern contraptions into our personal lives. Can you imagine going about your day without your handy and ever reliable smartphone that can do just about everything you’ll ever need for the day? The answer is probably no, right? But let us not forget what started it all – computers. Their presence enables mankind to shift from manual labor and consequently automated most of our tasks, so we have a lot to be thankful for their existence.

But just like any material object (especially a tech one) you have at home, school, work, or everywhere else, they are subject to normal wear and tear especially when misused or abused. Over time, your computer would need fixing or worse, a replacement. Other time, you simply just want to upgrade and buy that shiny new laptop or Mac you saw at the mall the other day. Sooner or later, you’ll have to say goodbye to your desktop or laptop but it’s not as simple as you think. There are data to be transferred and saved but do you know where to start?

Many families have welcomed new PCs into their homes, thanks to back-to-school and Labor Day sales, leaving older computers to be donated, recycled, or sold. That makes this a good time to learn how to perform a factory reset.

What is a factory reset? That's when you wipe your computer's hard drive and reinstall its operating system. Doing this reverts your computer to its pristine state, deleting all your personal information, applications, and files in the process.

Getting rid of a computer without performing a reset could put your data in the wrong hands—and you and your family at risk for identity theft. 

Can't I just delete the files? Matt Ham, owner of repair service company Computer Repair Doctor, explains that manually purging files isn’t enough.

(Via: https://www.consumerreports.org/computers/how-to-wipe-a-computer-clean-of-personal-data/)

The number of digital data/files you have saved on your device depends on how long you’ve been using it and how often you use it. You may save photos, songs, videos, movies, and most importantly, documents that mean the world to you. You also use your PC when browsing the web, accessing social media accounts, or when doing online banking, which means there is a big possibility you have saved sensitive login details and passwords on the device.

Step 4: Delete!

You’re now ready to delete the contents of the hard drive. Drag everything from your Documents, Pictures and Music folder into the Recycle Bin, then right-click on the Recycle Bin to delete its contents.

This alone won’t fully delete your PC’s contents, but will speed up the secure deletion process. For this, try the free Eraser tool - it overwrites deleted files several times so they cannot be recovered.

Install the Eraser software and select the files and folders you want to permanently erase. Be warned: it’s a time-consuming process. Remember to repeat the Eraser process for files on all the user accounts on your PC.

(Via: http://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/computing/laptops/how-to-securely-wipe-your-laptop-or-pc-windows-7-11363807738531)

Cleaning up may be a hassle for many but it is a crucial step you should not miss out on when selling your old PC or laptop because there is the risk of you leaving behind important data that you don’t want others to see or gain access to. But before doing anything like a factory reset, make sure you back up all your data first before they are gone for good. If not, you may have to undergo the costly and painful process of data recovery that is dreaded by most computer users. You can either transfer these files to an external hard drive or up in the cloud for safe keeping. The cleanup process may vary, though, depending on operating system version, so also bear that in mind.

The following blog post Wiping Your Computer Clean See more on: PopEgo

source https://popego.com/wiping-your-computer-clean/