Five years ago, shortly after Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast, teams of rescuers boated, waded and walked through the streets of New Orleans searching for pets that had been left behind in the rush to evacuate. Dozens of volunteers from Washington-based Pasado’s Safe Haven saw the devastation of the category three storm firsthand as they collected hungry, dehydrated and injured pets from homes and backyards in the abandoned city.

140 miles away in Delcambre, La., a similarly devastating scenario unfolded after Hurricane Rita sent floodwaters through the small town, drowning some 30,000 cattle, destroying fields of sugar cane and other crops while uprooting homes and their inhabitants. Local veterinarian Dr. Eric White led his own rescue effort, sending a truck full of abandoned pets back to Waterloo, N.Y. with volunteers from the Beverly Animal Shelter for eventual adoption.

I met up with both groups in 2005, a few weeks after the storms hit, to document their efforts.

15,000 screaming – and occasionally sleeping – fans. More here: Syracuse.com

Drive-in movie theaters tend to be hidden gems these days. And how can you help but love them. The Finger Lakes Drive-In in Aurelius, NY opened on July 15, 1947 and continues to offer movies seven nights a week each summer, rain or shine, through Labor Day.