Midcoast Humane is accepting donations for their mobile surgical unit, which was damaged at their Range Road location in Brunswick by falling trees in a windstorm on March 2.
While estimates are still coming in, the animal shelter knows they have sustained a minimum loss of $3,800. This includes the insurance deductible, the cost of tree removal and other repairs around the site.
A branch punctured the roof of Midcoast Humane’s mobile animal hospital. Courtesy of Midcoast Humane
The mobile surgical unit is a van where all of the organization’s surgeries and medical assessments are performed. Since the windstorm, Midcoast Humane has been unable to use it.
According to Marketing and Communications Manager Kate Griffith, the van is state-of-the-art, includes high-tech equipment such as an x-ray and originally cost $238,000.
In the meantime, the shelter has gathered equipment and set up a make-shift clinic space inside their building.
“It is definitely not ideal,” Griffith said. “We don’t have access to the same high-tech equipment and there’s no generator at the building so hopefully we’re not in the middle of an operation and lose power.”
According to Griffith, as of Thursday at noon, they have received about $2,900 in online donations.
Midcoast Humane has two campuses located in Brunswick and Edgecomb and is one of the largest animal shelters in Maine. According to their website, they provide care to about 3,500 animals every year.
According to a press release from Central Maine Power, the windstorm reached gusts of over 60 mph, taking down trees and damaging utility poles.
The storm knocked out power for more than 90,000 of the company’s 655,314 customers.
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