Former Wantagh Residents Sheltered Dozens of Animals in Sandy Aftermath

When Freeport-based animal shelter Bobby and the Strays took a huge hit from Superstorm Sandy, former Wantagh resident Tamara Sorrentino stepped up to offer more than 70 animals a temporary home.

Sorrentino's two-floor Wantagh colonial has been on the market since she and her husband moved to Central Islip. As an active volunteer with Bobbi and the Strays, Sorrentino was devastated to see the shelter have to evacuate after Sandy tore through the south shore of Long Island.

"I volunteer at the shelter and we currently aren't living in the Wantagh house, so when they needed a place to evacuate to, we knew we could fit the animals," Sorrentino said. "We had about 20 dogs and 50 cats. It was amazing to see and it's just really sweet."

Sorrentino was introduced to Bobbi and the Strays when she adopted her own dog. She said she was more than impressed with the way the handled their shelter.

"We saw how loving and careful they are at where they put these animals," Sorrentino said. "They do a house check to ensure the animals are going to a safe environment. It just felt right."

"We know that the're a great organization and we wanted to do whatever we could for them," she added. "There was four feet of water in the shelter, they had nothing left."

The animals, roughly 20 dogs and 50 cats, entered Sorrentino's home just one day after Sandy hit. She said the dogs were placed in her garage and basement, while the cats took up nearly two floors.

"Volunteers were staying at the house in shifts," explained Sorrentino. "These people are amazing, taking care of the animals when the house had no power. A lot of them were away from their own families and their own animals."

The dogs returned to the Freeport shelter in mid-November, while some of the cats were being cared for in Wantagh for another month. For more information on Bobbi and the Strays, visit the shelter's website.