News Photo by Darby Hinkley Karma’s a Fish staff member Taylor Santamour holds Keswyck, a bearded dragon, at the Alpena pet store has been boarding since Tuesday for a resident who lost power because of the ice storm that hit Northeast Michigan over the weekend.

ALPENA — Power outages across Northeast Michigan following the ice storm have caused problems not just for people, but animals too.

Alpena Mayor Cindy Johnson, president of the Huron Humane Society, said that the shelter experienced difficulties from the power outages, but staff have worked diligently to keep the animals fed and watered.

Johnson said the shelter lost power on Friday and had no heat, water, or electricity to take care of the dogs and cats in their care.

The humane society has been affected by lots of tree damage and downed power lines, and large trees covered the driveway, Johnson said. Additionally, they experienced severe flooding on Woodward Road. The city had to come and dig a trench to reduce the water levels since the ground is still frozen from the winter.

Thanks to State Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, and Alpena County Sheriff Erik Smith, Johnson was able to get a generator on Wednesday. The generator is powering one of their furnaces, but they still have no electricity or water at the shelter.

“We continue to do the very best we can for the animals in our care right now, and we appreciate the support of the community,” Johnson said.

Smith said he had heard that Johnson was in need of heat at the shelter and called her. She told him they needed a generator, and he got her one.

Over at Alpena County Animal Control, Smith said they lost power there but have it back now. During the outage, animal control staff covered the animals’ crates with blankets and put the animals in a central location to keep them as warm as possible. The shelter got down to 50 degrees, Smith said.

Animal control is in need of food, but they are on their way to get some. Smith wanted to give a shout out to the animal control staff for their hard work during this unprecedented event.

Shelly Adamski, owner of Karma’s a Fish, a local pet store in downtown Alpena, lost power at her business on Saturday night.

The pet store sells fish, reptiles, rats, hamsters, and more. Adamski was worried that her animals would not survive without heat, as many of them need warmth to survive. The temperature in the store got down to about 58 degrees. She said she lost one turtle and one fish.

The power came back on at the business on Monday, Adamski said. She knows a lot of pet owners with animals like reptiles and birds that cannot survive without adequate heat who still do not have power.

Adamski saw the need and decided to offer boarding for reptiles, birds, hamsters, and guinea pigs free of charge. She has already taken in a few pets from customers.

“A lot of my customers are also my friends,” she said. “We are not charging for any boarding for people who have lost power.”

If anyone needs a place to keep their pet safe temporarily, Harbor Springs and Mackinaw Animal Shelters will board them. Exotic pets can be housed in Petoskey. All expenses for boarding are covered by the ASPCA, including transportation costs if need be.

Call Carrie O’Connor with any questions at 906-440-7009.

Reagan Voetberg can be reached at 989-358-5683 or rvoetberg@TheAlpenaNews.com.