The cold temperatures are wreaking havoc on South Florida’s plants and animals, forcing farmers and shelters to scramble to make sure they stay warm and protected from the cold.
The Patch of Heaven Sanctuary in Redland is known for plants that thrive in tropical weather, but not winter weather. Some plants from Southeast Asia had to be moved inside.
“They are cold-sensitive,” said Sanctuary CEO Suzanne Jewell. “If they didn’t have these blankets on, they’d be toast.”
The cold wind blew some of the blankets off these plants. There was already visible damage. CBS News Miami asked how serious the damage was to some plants.
“This plant may or may not make it,” Jewell said. “We won’t know until the weather warms up again.”
“They’ll probably have to be cut back and it could take two-to-three years,” said Randall Quirk of the sanctuary.
The sanctuary put thermal blankets around the vanilla orchids that they grow. Sanctuary leadership told CBS News Miami that just a few hours of prolonged exposure to the cold could kill one of these. And it could take them years to grow back.
Protecting furry friends from the freeze
Outdoor animals are also a big concern across South Florida. Miami-Dade Animal Services spent the last week preparing its furry friends for the freezing temperatures. Donations helped them get these sweaters and blankets.
“We close the guillotine doors just to make them stay on the inside of the building,” said MDAS Director Annette Jose. “We have sweaters for them, we have blankets. The community has been amazing — they’ve donated hundreds of blankets and about a hundred sweaters.”
Jose told CBS News Miami the overflow shelter in Medley was at capacity this week, but she said there was a rare rush of foster families that came this week to get dogs into a warm home, instead of this facility during the cold.
“We went from 130 dogs to less than 30 today,” Jose said.
Jose said when it’s this cold, all dogs are brought to crates inside when staff leave for the night, adding that the facility is kept between 65 and 70 degrees.
Jose says the cold is a concern for your pets at home, too. If you do need to walk your dog or let them out, it should only be for about 10 minutes when it’s this cold out.
