More Than 100 Horses Rescued from Houston Floods

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Pat Raia
Apr 20, 2016

More than 100 horses were rescued from rising water and another five remain missing after flash floods swept through Harris County Texas.

On April 18, heavy rain began falling causing flash flooding in Harris County, including in Houston. The following day, another 12 inches of rain fell causing evacuations throughout the area. In all 20 inches of rain fell leaving five people dead and 101 horses in need of rescue, including 75 endurance horses from the Cypress Trails Equestrian Center in Humble.

Owner Darolyn Butler said the animals were located around the farm when flooding began. Before long a nearby creek rose 30-feet, she said.

“I actually have a two-page flood plan, but we thought we were going to be okay, so I didn't evacuate the horses,” Butler said. “But the water rose so fast we didn't have time to get the horses out.”

Butler said some of the horses located in the barn beneath her home were standing in belly-deep water when the waters rose. A barn located elsewhere on the same property was empty, but horses caught outdoors when the flooding began had to be rescued by Butler's friends, students, and employees after they became tangled in cable fencing around the arena. Others were swept into the river nearby or into the flooded woods...

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http://www.thehorse.com/articles/37451/more-than-100-horses-rescued-from-houston-floods