Severe storms that swept through Maricopa, Arizona, left homes and other properties flooded, killed seven rescue birds at The Gud Ark Animal Sanctuary and overturned a storage trailer at a nearby food pantry.
The sanctuary’s owner, Ellese Gudvangen, said one of the bird enclosures was tipped over in roughly 30cm of water during the storm, trapping and drowning the birds. The Gud Ark, on West Papago Road, cares for nearly 400 rescued animals across more than 30 species. ([co.headtopics.com](https://co.headtopics.com/news/maricopa-animal-sanctuary-and-food-pantry-recover-after-87254800?utm_source=openai))
Gudvangen said the sanctuary was now working to rebuild damaged enclosures, with the extreme Arizona summer heat making the repairs urgent. Limited space in cooler areas has made it difficult to move all the animals indoors while the work continues.
At Maricopa Pantry, powerful winds pushed a storage trailer on to its side, leaving its wheels facing upwards. The trailer is used to hold canned goods for the community food bank, which was founded by Jim and Alice Shoaf. ([co.headtopics.com](https://co.headtopics.com/news/maricopa-animal-sanctuary-and-food-pantry-recover-after-87254800?utm_source=openai))
Jim Shoaf said little food had been stored inside the trailer at the time, meaning the pantry did not suffer major losses. He was seeking a way to right the structure so it could return to service.
Residents and volunteers were left clearing up flooded areas and storm damage as recovery efforts began. The disruption came as both the sanctuary and food pantry continued providing services to the Maricopa community.
