Lifestyle Pets Volunteers Successfully Rescue Over 50 Horses Stuck in Chest-Deep Texas Floodwaters Tropical Storm Imelda left many humans and animals in Houston, Texas, stranded in floodwaters By Kelli Bender Kelli Bender Kelli Bender is the Pets Editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2013. Her work has previously appeared on MTV, The Frisky, Vice, and Best Friends Magazine. People Editorial Guidelines Published on September 20, 2019 03:07PM EDT Tropical Storm Imelda doused the Houston area in rain this week, with a reported 43.15 inches of rainfall in Jefferson County alone, causing extensive flooding and state of disaster declarations from Texas Governor Greg Abbot for 13 counties. Floods caused by Imelda’s pouring rain left numerous Texans stranded in high waters. Over 50 of those marooned residents happened to be horses. According to KHOU, more than 50 horses at Cypress Trails Equestrian Center in Harris County, Texas, found themselves caught in chest-high floodwaters on Thursday. 2 Reported Dead in Texas Floods as Mattress Salesman Turns Showroom Into Shelter for Victims Luckily, the horses didn’t stay stuck for long; a group of volunteer rescuers swam through the waters to reach the horses and lead the animals to higher ground. The difficult task was made even more challenging by the currents from nearby Cypress Creek that were running through the floodwaters on the property, according to KHOU. Zach Karrenbrock recorded video of the rescue, and told the station that all of the animals were moved to higher ground and then later transported to a safe location. As far as Karrenbrock knows, none of the horses were injured by the storm.