WIMAUMA, Fla. — Recovering from back-to-back hurricanes at your home is hard enough, but the volunteers at Elmira’s Wildlife Sanctuary in Wimauma also had dozens of animals and the entire sanctuary to take care of after the storms.

What You Need To Know

  • CEO Robin Greenwood said hurricanes Helene and Milton certainly weren’t their first storms there, but she did take them more seriously when preparing

  • Since the larger animals, like 12-year-old grizzly bear Stanley, rode out Milton in their enclosures, Greenwood anxiously waited for the storm to pass so she could get back

  • View more information about Elmira’s Wildlife Sanctuary. As a nonprofit, it does rely on donations

Robin Greenwood is the CEO of Elmira’s Wildlife Sanctuary, where dozens of animal call home, including Stanley, a 12-year-old grizzly bear.

Greenwood said hurricanes Helene and Milton certainly weren’t their first storms there, but she did take them more seriously when preparing.

“We were able to evacuate the birds and the lemurs, but you can’t put Stanley in the back of your car and take him home with you,” she said.

Since the larger animals, like Stanley, rode out Milton in their enclosures, Greenwood anxiously waited for the storm to pass so she could get back.

“I got out here first thing Thursday morning and I was walking around, and all the animals were kind of looking at me like, ‘What the heck just happened?’” she said.

She said they were all OK, but the property did sustain a lot of damage. She estimates at least $10,000 worth, just in materials, with dozens of shade cloths ripped off, downed trees and metal roofs ripped off enclosures.

“That had to have scared the heck out of her, just the noise, and this little lid flipped over, when I got out here that morning, she was sitting on that table looking at me like, ‘Mom what happened?’” she said.

Since Elmira’s Wildlife Sanctuary is made up entirely of volunteers, Greenwood explained how difficult this recovery has been on everyone, with some of her volunteers losing everything at home but still spending time there.

“People brought trailers and tractors, and themselves, the ones who couldn’t get here earlier, and they’ve been doing it ever since, and I think a lot of it is just the people working together and knowing the animals need to be OK. And that’s why we’re here, we’re here for these animals,” she said.

She says these animals have kept everyone strong through the recovery process, knowing they rely on the volunteers there, and in a way, the volunteers rely on them, too.

View more information about Elmira’s Wildlife Sanctuary. As a nonprofit, it does rely on donations.