Confused Alligators Turn Up On Peoples Doorsteps Because Of Hurricane Harvey

People hit by severe flooding because of Hurricane Harvey now have one more thing to worry about – confused alligators.

Gators have been spotted roaming around people’s driveways, hiding under cars, and even popping up on people’s doorsteps after the flooding left them disorientated.

But despite their bad rep, the animals are relatively harmless – as long as you leave them be.

They’re just looking for some higher ground, or somewhere to shelter from the rain.

Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office in Texas tweeted: ‘Expect them to be displaced. Simply looking for higher ground. Leave alone until water recedes.’

And Texas Gator Squad wrote on Facebook: ‘Remember, flooding waters can cause alligators to become displaced. Alligators may travel looking for higher grounds or shelter from the rain.

Although not likely some of these places might be your driveway, front or back porches if covered, and could be under your car.

‘Alligators that show up on your property during flooding and heavy rain are not out seeking you for food or trying to be aggressive, they are simply trying to deal with the weather like the rest of us.

‘If weather is bad, please let them be as they will move when water goes down. Stay 30ft and do not attempt to move or scare off a lost or displaced alligator.’

It comes as Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas coast as a Category 4 storm on Friday, bringing life-threatening winds and the likelihood of catastrophic flooding.

Harvey is the most powerful storm in more than a decade to hit the mainland US. It is expected to move slowly over the Texas and Louisiana coasts for days, with forecasts for storm surges of up to four metres and over 90cm of rain.

It is also the first Category 4 hurricane to wallop the United States since Charley in 2004 and the first to hit Texas since Carla in 1961.

Donald Trump, facing the first large-scale natural disaster of his presidency, said on Twitter he signed a disaster proclamation which ‘unleashes the full force of government help’ shortly before Harvey made landfall.

As many as six million people were feared to be in Harvey’s path, as is the heart of the US’s oil refining operations.

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