Furtastic Series Banner

Alligator swims over fence and enters woman's flooded backyard in Texas

Hurricane Harvey brought rain ... and gators.
 By 
Brian Koerber
 on 

Hurricane Harvey dumped a ridiculous amount of rain on southeastern Texas this weekend, bringing with it some unwanted guests.

Arlene Kelsch's backyard faces Lake Olympia, so spotting an alligator is not too uncommon. But thanks to Harvey, which has since been declassified to a tropical storm, heavy rains caused her yard to flood, and Kelsch has spotted multiple gators swimming over her fence.

"So here's the gator moving along," Kelsch said in a video posted to Facebook. She shows off the fence in her backyard and pans the camera to show a second alligator just chilling in her backyard.

"Holy crap was my reaction," Kelsch told Chron.com. "I felt relatively safe seeing them; it's kind of cool. As long as I don't open my door, I'm fine, but it's still a little creepy."

In addition to gators, says she also spotted some frogs on her windows, and speculates that there are some snakes slithering around in the water.

According to posts on Facebook, the Lake Olympia area now has a mandatory evacuation, so Kelsch has since left her home and is staying with a friend

Other images of gators in the Houston area spread across social media as the storm hit, which were proven to be false. Even Katie Couric posted an image of a gator, which she claimed came from her "friend's Houston 'hood." That image was from April.

Topics Animals

photo of brian
Brian Koerber

Brian was the Culture Editor and has been working at Mashable on the web culture desk since 2014.

Mashable Potato

More from Furtastic

Bring a legendary sea creature to your next barbecue, because why not?
By Team Commerce
Original image replaced with Mashable logo

Office dog not allowed on couch shows everyone who's the boss
Original image replaced with Mashable logo

Little girl writes Queen Elizabeth asking for a pet swan, gets adorable royal response
Little girl writes Queen Elizabeth asking for a pet swan, gets adorable royal response


Recommended For You
AI music enters the Olympics' ice dancing contest
Katerina Mrazkova and partner Daniel Mrazek competing at the olympics

How to unblock Pornhub for free in Texas
In this photo illustration, the age-restriction warning screen of the website PornHub is displayed on a digital screen

How to watch Texas Tech vs. Iowa online for free
Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic dribbles the ball


This Texas startup believes AI can identify and stop mass shooters
Members of the FBI on scene after a mass shooting in Austin, Texas in March 2026.

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

NYT Strands hints, answers for April 4, 2026
A game being played on a smartphone.

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!