Haven Humane opens disaster response center built with Zogg Fire funds

“Today is more than just about opening a building, it’s about strengthening our ability to serve the community when the need is greatest, being prepared for the unexpected, and making sure that when disaster strikes, no animal or family in the community is left behind,” Haven Humane CEO Jim Lewis said today. 

“We just want to be ready for any disaster that does happen,” he said. 

Lewis spoke as the Shasta County Haven Humane Society opened its new Disaster Response and Humane Education Center. The center was built using funds from the Zogg Fire received by the county through a settlement with PG&E. It’s next to existing Haven Humane buildings at the organization’s 7449 Eastside Road location in Anderson.

According to the California Public Utilities Commission, the Zogg Fire was caused when a tree fell on energized conductors owned and operated by the power company in Shasta. The fire burned more than 55,000 acres and destroyed more than 200 structures. It also killed four people.

Under PG&E’s settlement terms, the power company was required  to pay $50 million to Shasta County. Of those funds, $45 million were allocated to support fire departments, law enforcement and nonprofit organizations involved in rebuilding efforts and assistance, including the more than $2.5 million designated for Haven Humane. Another $5 million was paid directly to Shasta County as a penalty, according to a press release from PG&E at the time.

The new center features dog kennels, a cat room, and a general meeting space. It’s designed to serve as a dedicated space to hold up to 200 animals during evacuations caused by natural disasters, Lewis said. 

A disaster relief grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA provided additional support for supplies. No Shasta County general fund money was used to construct the building, Lewis said. Haven Humane is a nonprofit organization that contracts with the county to provide animal welfare services.

As Lewis noted during the event, Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett made the designation of Zogg Fire funds to Haven Humane in honor of Karen King, who was one of the victims of the fire along with Fela McLeod, Alaina McLeod, and Kenneth Vosen.

“[King’s] surviving family members wanted some of the settlement to go in her honor to Haven Humane,” Bridgett said during the event, “and that’s how $200,000 for a spay and neuter program was donated, as well as $2.5 million dollars to help build this building to make it a reality that her memory could live on and do something for what she loved.”

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