- The Washington Post reported that dozens of alligators went missing from Gator Country, a rescue alligator sanctuary, after Imelda dumped 43 inches of rain along the Texas coast.
- Big Tex, a 14-foot, 1,000 pound alligator, and three dozen other gators went missing from their pens as the sanctuary was inundated by a torrential downpour. Big Tex was found near a pond on the sanctuary's 15-acre property on Friday afternoon.
- The sanctuary still remains at only 80 percent capacity, The Post reported. Warner told The Post that the missing gators are "mostly just three-, four- and five-footers."
- Apart from missing alligators, Tropical Depression Imelda largely impacted the day-to-day life of many residents along the Texas coast, as waters from the storm flooded homes and streets.
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As the floodwater of Tropical Depression Imelda receded earlier this week, residents of Beaumont, Texas, are finding all kinds of debris around the city, which could include dozens of alligators.
The Washington Post reported that dozens of alligators went missing from Gator Country, a rescue alligator sanctuary — including the nation's largest captive alligator — after Imelda dumped 43 inches of rain along the Texas coast.
Big Tex, a 14-foot, 1,000 pound alligator, and three dozen other gators went missing from their pens as the sanctuary was inundated by torrential downpour.
"We were unsure [Big Tex] had even escaped," Jon Warner, Alligator Program head of Texas Parks and Wildlife, told The Post. "But when the water level went down, Big Tex wasn't there."
However, Warner said that it was likely that "he'd probably stay in the immediate vicinity." Big Tex was found near a pond on the sanctuary's 15-acre property on Friday afternoon.
The sanctuary still remains at only 80 percent capacity, The Post reported. Warner told The Post that the missing gators are "mostly just three-, four- and five-footers."
"They probably just swam over the fence," Warner told The Post.
Apart from missing alligators, Tropical Depression Imelda largely impacted the day-to-day life of many residents along the Texas coast, as waters from the storm flooded homes and streets. Police said they responded to hundreds of distress calls of commuters stranded in their cars and residents in their homes.
The Associated Press reported that Texas schools didn't cancel classes, saying that the weather "unfortunately took a turn that was unforeseen," leaving students trapped in their schools and parents in the streets on their way to pick up their kids.
"There were a lot of angry moms out there. It was chaotic to pick up, the traffic was just horrible," Rita Martinez, who has three sons, told AP. "We had the mayor coming out, 'Don't go out if you don't have to go out.' Parents, we had no choice."
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