Impact of East Village Explosion on Building Animals — At least 7 Cats and 1 Dog Known Missing (Updated)

Updated April 1st, 9:13 a.m. It appears three of the cats have been found! Info at end. (ed. note: now 4!)

Kathleen Blomberg has lived at 125 Second Avenue for twenty one years, most recently with her two cats, siblings Sebastian and Kitty Cordelia. It was 121 Second Avenue that caught fire on March 26th due to a gas leak and had a massive explosion and, as we know, nearby buildings were impacted. Her building is still in tact, but, after the explosion, firefighters came through, and, at this point, her two cats escaped. They are still missing.

In an email, Kathleen told Washington Square Park Blog:

From what I understand, the firefighters broke the doors down while searching for people, and the windows either blew out from the explosion or the firefighters maybe broke them for water in/smoke out – best guess. So kitties did their own evac :(.

No ground search can be done by Animal AC&C until they are done with the rubble due to safety concerns and the need for first responder escorts. I talked to Michael Ortiz tonight from OEM (Office of Emergency Management) and he said they are approx 50% complete but it is painstaking due to the potential danger to the workers. They are working 24/7, so it’s possible they “may” wrap that piece up tomorrow….

The latest unofficial tally is seven cats and one dog missing. As Whiskers, the nearby holistic pet store helping to spread the word about the impacted animals, wrote on their Facebook page, “All these cats are pets and if on the street may be scared and/or hurt.” 

Five Days Out, Can City’s Animal Rescue efforts be expedited?

Understanding concerns for safety and precaution, now five days out, some way to help people search for their animals seems imperative.

Initially, animals that were missing were believed to live in the devastated buildings but now, it appears, a number from other buildings ran out doors which were busted in or left open and are deeply hiding.

This would be a great issue for Jeff Dupee, who the city recently appointed to handle animal-related issues and outreach, to take on and assist with, yes?

Look at these other missing loves:

I read an account of a woman who was with her husband at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and her roommate was in either the main building or one right next to it, and told her she tried to get their cat, could not, and only escaped with her sneakers.

Someone also told me of a man who was able to get one cat but not the other who ran away (not sure if he or she might be one of these). And Whiskers also noted that they know of one dog, Pepper, a pitbull who is missing.

Previously, I posted photos of cats Laszlo, Lulu and Sago who are missing also.

As Kathleen Blomberg says, “I lived on the top floor for 21 years. I was told today top two floors are pretty much gone due to water and smoke. I expected this. If I can just get my furbabies back, I can survive.”

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How You can Help: Please Share this Post! Please Look in the area, tell your friends, contact the media!

If you see Sebastian or Kitty Cordelia, contact Kathleen, #347.821.7319

Leather-Face, contact Georgina and Donald at #917.242.7096

Ryce, contact Kayoko 646.266.1063 or Stu 917.386.4410

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See previous Washington Square Park Blog post (March 29), Missing Animals from East Village Explosion: 7 Cats from Buildings Unaccounted for, Likely More | Plight of Animals Omitted from Media Reports for more photos.

Thank you to ABC Animal Hospital Blog for alerting me to the photos of these additional cats, these other resources (below), and linking to the previous post.

Bide-a-Wee has a Facebook page, East Village Cats with photos.

Whiskers Holistic Pet Store location: 235 East 9th Street right off Second Avenue, a block and a half away from the tragic explosion.

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Update! April 1st 9:13 a.m.

Cat Laszlo has been found! Great news. But it appears his friend Lulu is still missing.

Commenter Daria DeBuono writes that Sebastian and Kitty Cordelia were found as of last night. She wrote: “There has been a good piece of news today — Sebastian and Kitty Cordelia were found under the bed in a top floor apt in 125 2nd Av (the apt badly damaged by fire and vacated since the accident).” Yay!

Thanks CBS New York for covering this and running photos online (not sure if this was on-air as well). Additional media coverage on the plight of the animals would be great.

Let’s hope (insist) that a dedicated search and rescue is happening of the site for the animals and the others are found.

FOLLOW UP POST: 4 Cats Found in Rescue Efforts in Aftermath of East Village Explosion, 4 Cats, 1 Dog Still Missing APRIL 2, 2015