A Houston police officer used a personal watercraft to rescue a man and three dogs amid severe flooding in Texas on Saturday.
The Houston Police Department shared a video of the rescue on Facebook Saturday night, showing HPD Marine Enforcement Unit Officer H. Scott responding to the man’s cries for help.
Scott heard the man calling for help from a trailer park near where the San Jacinto River enters Lake Houston at around noon on Saturday, and responded on a Jet Ski-style watercraft. The man was struggling in 8–10 feet of water, according to police.
After pulling one dog and the man to safety, the man tells Scott there is another dog in the water. Scott dove into the water to retrieve the second dog, then transported the man and both dogs to a waiting police boat. There, Scott learned there was a third dog at the trailer park, so he returned to retrieve that dog, too.
“We’re thankful everyone was okay,” police wrote alongside the video.
Residents along the San Jacinto River were advised to evacuate the area due to the threat of flooding after heavy storms last week, officials said.
Hundreds of people were rescued from high water along multiple rivers that burst their banks. Numerous roads were closed and schools were shut down.
The City of Houston Office of Emergency Management on Saturday said Lake Houston was closed until further notice due to unsafe conditions caused by rising water levels.
“It is not safe to swim, kayak, boat, or do any other water activities on the lake,” the agency said. “For your safety stay out of the lake until it is reopened.”
Thunderstorms continued in the area on Sunday, but the floodwaters are expected to recede this week.
Story via TMX