Videos: Not just humans, this is how the storm in Texas has made animals homeless too

There have been reports of 22 deaths and many more casualties as the former Hurricane Harvey – now Tropical Depression Harvey – made its way towards the US state of Louisiana from Texas. The pounding rainfall and subsequent floods have reportedly displaced over 350 alligators in the area.

Resident Arlene Kelsch was in for a shock when she discovered (above) that her flooded backyard was the temporary home for not one, but two alligators. In a video that she filmed, one alligator can be seeing swimming at first.

She shows the top of her backyard fence, completely submerged, and deduces that is how the alligator might have entered her backyard. She then pans her camera to show the second gator, which is only inches away from her patio.

However, the reptiles are not the only problem for the storm-affected Texans, who also need to worry about being stung by swarms of fire ants (below). The species are commonly sighted in the area, but the flood waters have resulted in the ants organising themselves into colonies, form a waterproof “fabric” and floating on the water.

Families have been displaced, and so have their pets. And furious rescue operations have been undertaken to save the abandoned, lost and homeless animals and even reunite them with their families. These videos (below) show the incredible efforts put in by people and organisations to make this happen.

When a horse found herself trapped in the floodwaters, and the current was getting stronger, she was visibly terrified. Rescue teams risked their lives wading through the water, and managed to get her to safety after calming her down. Several shelters have been set up to house pets with nowhere to go.