Unsuspecting families awoke to its mighty fury, and life in every form scrambled to escape. Residents hastily snatched handfuls of valuables and waded out with little more than their lives. Animals were released, in a panic, with wishes of good luck. Those already too late in fleeing, could only watch, helplessly, as the ugly, muddy current churned violently around them, swallowing everything in sight, then vomiting its pillage to be smashed in its forces again.
As realization of the terror spread, the community moved quickly to organize rescue efforts. Shelters were opened, supplies were gathered, helicopters with rescue baskets dangling underneath, rumbled in a heavy sky, searching below for those whose last hope was their rooftop. Officials blocked off streets as motorboats roared through flooded avenues, hauling people from their submerged homes, while tires, bicycles and debris bobbed crazily in the murky waters of a deranged river.
Without warning, flood waters poured into the zoo. As the waterline rapidly rose, workers had no time for a complete evacuation. They were able to boat out most of the smaller animals, and a few of the larger animals found refuge on the roof, but others, including several whitetail does, were simply released with a 'fare thee well', in a last ditch effort to spare them a watery grave. The frightened deer scrambled into angry, swirling waters of a rampaging river, and God only knows where they went.
While homeless families crowded into shelters, their pets needed refuge as well. Some people told of pets they'd had to leave behind and begged to have them saved. In addition to these, animals at the pound had to be evacuated and sent to the two, already overflowing, shelters. Volunteers set up a huge tent, MASH style, and someone brought in an 18 wheeler. Rescue teams in boats, braved dangerous waters to retrieve stranded animals.
A black Labrador was found treading water, with a broken leg, inside his flooded home. Some animals fearfully hung in trees or desperately clung to floating debris. Ants, seeking escape from the waters, covered many of the animals. A pig huddled on a tiny clump of dry ground. Other pets, fortunate enough to have escaped the river, wandered the streets displaced and frightened.
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