SEATTLE -- Hundreds of Louisiana pets and shelter-animals are now living at a 600-acre animal farm.

The facility was opened by Washington animal lovers.

Moments after touching down in Louisiana, Washington volunteers realized just how badly they were needed.

"We were being called by shelters, saying 'Please, we need to evacuate our animals,' " said Susan Michaels, founder of Pasado Safe Haven, a Washington animal rescue sanctuary. "We thought after three years of Katrina there would be evacuation plans in place, there weren't."

Michaels says just 3 days ago, Pasado opened a 600-acre rescue farm an hour outside of New Orleans in St. Bernard Parish.

It's already filling up.

"If Pasado didn't get the farm, these animals would have been left in the path of a monster hurricane," said Michaels.

That monster hurricane is what Susan's been monitoring 24/7, until now. By early afternoon, the weather wiped out cell phone communication with the farm.

"It just scares us when we lose communication," Michaels said as she tried repeatedly to call her volunteers.

While she waits, Pasado employees and volunteers keep busy. They've secured boxes of supplies and loaded them in a donated U-Haul Truck, which will soon join the volunteers in Louisiana.

Inside the truck is everything from doggie dishes and cleaning supplies to air mattresses and medical supplies. The farm doubles as a vet hospital.

"We've got IV sets, fluid lines, extension sets," said Jenny Fraley, Pasado's Operation's Manager.

Many of the rescued dogs and cats are sick; some will even need surgery. Once Fraley and Pasado's administration director Karin Baker finished a running list of all the donated supplies, Baker worked the phone calling potential donors.

"What we can do from Seattle is get them anything they need, just like that!" said Michaels. That's why a team of staff stay put here in Washington.

"We don't have to worry about phone lines being down or weather getting in our way," she said.

So far, Pasado supporters have donated time and money to pay for all the supplies and the disaster response.

Pasado's was there for Katrina's animals. They rescued 1,200 animals -- many of them family pets left behind in the crush to escape the deadly waters.

That's the Pasado way; help the animals who need it most.

Pasado has 11 volunteers working the rescue farm in St. Bernard Parish.
If you'd like to volunteer, go to www.pasadosafehaven.org

Pasado also plans to send a donated swift water rescue boat to Louisiana.