The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center—a rehabilitation center for injured wildlife in Huntington Beach—has suffered significant damage to its roof, electrical conduits, and pool pumps after heavy storms hit the coast this past week.
According to Debby McGuire, the center’s co-founder and executive director, insurance is not covering any of the damage and they have begun a donation page to raise funds for repairs.
“We need assistance and money to help with the repairs,” McGuire said.
According to McGuire, the center has limited funds set aside in their annual budget in case of a disaster; however, they need to raise $23,000 for repairs.
They have raised over $11,000 in donations as of Friday. Those who are interested in donating can do so here.
The water damage includes their hospital roof, which is leaking and ruining ceiling tiles; electrical conduits, which caused an electrical short; and the outdoor pool pumps, now inoperable, leaving their sea birds without clean water.
As a result, the center closed down its treatment and nursery area until repairs can be finished, of which such time is unclear. All wildlife has been temporarily moved to a different part of the center.
Additionally, the center has been receiving weak, anemic, and hypothermic animals affected by the storm including birds struggling to hunt for fish in rough seas and squirrels displaced by winds and storms, according to McGuire.
The center has played a significant role is saving wildlife in Southern California, such as rehabilitating a dozen brown pelicans suffering from low body temperatures, dehydration, malnutrition, and parasites last year.
