A man who fled his property in Texas before Hurricane Harvey destroyed his neighbourhood, returned home to find an alligator in his house.
Brian Foster, along with a rescue crew, returned to his home on Friday to assess the destruction caused by the fatal storm, where they came across the 9ft creature.
Shocked, Brian immediately called the police so the gigantic animal could be taken away.
Officers managed to tape the gator’s mouth shut before four of them carried it out into a waiting vehicle.
Wildlife officials are reportedly now planning to release the animal back into the wild.
The record-breaking rainfall has carried a number of alligators into neighbourhoods across parts of south-east Texas.
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Despite water generally seeping in through doors, windows and other cracks, it remains unclear how the animal ended up inside the home.
Authorities have warned locals to call authorities for help should they come across the potentially-deadly animals.
According to the Daily Mail, figures from the American Red Cross show the numbers of displaced people are rising, from 33,000 in their shelters on Wednesday, to 42,000 on Thursday.
For some residents, it could take months before their homes are in habitable conditions again.
On Tuesday an alligator sanctuary warned, up to 350 alligators could soon be on the loose in south-east Texas due to rising floodwaters.
Water is said to be within a foot of rising over the fences of Gator Country in Beaumont – which houses hundreds of the reptiles.
The sanctuary’s most fearsome residents – two 13-foot alligators called Big Al and Big Tex, have been placed in trailers to prevent them from escaping.
However, workers at the sanctuary have warned there’s little they can do to stop the escape of the rest of the animals from their outdoor enclosures.
Gary Saurage, sanctuary founder, told KFDM:
All of these are certified, high fences, but when it won’t quit, it won’t quit.
We’ve worked around the clock and I don’t know what else to do. We’re truly tired.
The good news is, we caught all of our crocodiles and all of our venomous snakes.
It’s estimated just 15 to 20 per cent of homes in the Houston area were covered by flood insurance when Harvey hit.
Homeowners will have to pay for most of the damage out of their own pocket.
Our thoughts continue to go out to those affected by Hurricane Harvey.
