EAST BROOKFIELD, Mass. - About 50 cats were evacuated from animal shelters in Florida to Massachusetts ahead of Hurricane Ian and 10 of them are now at their temporary home at Second Chance Animal Shelter. 

"They can't just be put into someone's car in a crate," shelter CEO Sheryl Blancato said. "We are talking hundreds of animals that need to get moved very, very quickly."

Blancato knows first hand the damage a storm like this can do to a community. She rescued animals on the ground during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012. 

"I saw the devastation," Blancato said. "It's still ingrained in my brain how much devastation wind and rain can cause. I mean, it can just completely wipe out a house."

That experience is why she immediately contacted the shelter's partners when they found out Hurricane Ian was headed for Florida. Within hours, the shelter was prepared take about 50 animals. 

"If animals can't get out, that means people are staying behind to care for them and that is a very concerning thing," Blancato said. "We want to get animals out, including shelter animals, especially shelter animals,  because of the fact that they don't have a home."

The cats came from several shelters in south Florida, directly in the hurricane's path. Blancato said Ian gained strength fast, so there wasn't a lot of time to plan how they were going to get the animals out. 

"It was very hard to get planes and pilots in there on short notice," Blancato said. "The airports actually closed shortly after the airplane took off."

The cats range in age from 10 months to 4 years old. They will quarantine for 48 hours before they are checked out by a vet and made available for adoption. ​