Rebuilding One Fish at a Time

Galloway, OH, June 16, 2006 --(PR.com)-- By now everyone has heard how Hurricane Katrina inflicted tragedy of monumental proportions on the people of New Orleans and the southeast last August. Katrina's storm surge caused several breaches in levees around New Orleans. Most of the city was subsequently flooded, as the breached drainage and navigation canals allowed water to flow from the lake into low areas of the city. There were many casualties including a significant blow to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Louisiana’s most visited attraction and an institution numbered among the elite aquariums in the United States. “Before Katrina, National Geographic Traveler and Yahoo!Travel named New Orleans the #1 destination in America for family travel. The fabulous Audubon Nature Institute attractions were a major force behind this designation,” said Sandra S. Shilstone, President and CEO of New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation.

Though the Aquarium itself survived the initial hurricane and was on high ground above the flooding of most of the city, electrical outages continued and the backup power generators were unable to fully operate the sophisticated life support systems needed to keep the animals alive. Aquarium staffers were forced to evacuate the facility due to civil unrest in the area only to return four days later to discover that most of the 10,000 fish did not survive.

What can you do? The Audubon Nature Institute has announced that the aquarium will reopen summer 2006. They are currently running an Adopt-an-Animal program to solicit funds for rebuilding. From now until September 5, the aquarium’s 16 year anniversary, The Aquarium Supply Company will donate 10% of all profits to the rebuilding of the Aquarium. When you buy equipment for your aquarium, you can help return The Aquarium of the Americas to one of the foremost aquariums of the world.

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