A well-known Austin-area nonprofit was caught in the middle of Friday's heavy rainfall, having to rescue animals from its property as floodwater moved swiftly through it. Safe in Austin is a rescue ranch that helps children find comfort through animals with stories like theirs. Heavy rain flooded the property Friday, forcing staff to move animals to safety.
"We have no water on our property, no creek, no river," Safe in Austin founder Jamie Wallace-Griner said on a Facebook Live. "It is absolutely, and completely, and utterly terrifying."
"This is an absolute nightmare," Wallace-Griner added.
The roughly four-minute live video showed water raging through the Leander-based rescue ranch, which specializes in rescuing and rehabilitating abused or disabled animals. The nonprofit then pairs the animals with children with similar backgrounds to "provide healing and hope."
Wallace-Griner waded through what she described as calf-high water, showing the tortoise habitat completely flooded, noting that the barn and pastures were, too. The tortoises had been taken out of their area as the floodwater swept through, and during the live video, family members worked to rescue "Evie," a three-legged, one-eyed goat.
"I don't know what to do. Come tomorrow if you can," Wallace-Griner said. "It's an [explicit] river on my property, taking all my animals."
She uploaded the video to Facebook, writing that the property had only had flooding issues like this during the July 4 floods, but that Friday was worse.
"We are very hopeful we got everyone secured enough, but we are also terrified to see what the morning will look like," Wallace-Griner wrote. "Currently, there is no way for people to get to us, as all the low-water crossings to get here are blocked."
Wallace-Griner wrote Friday that she hoped the property would be able to open its gates Saturday for volunteers who wanted to help with cleanup. In a Saturday morning update, however, she said the nonprofit canceled its regular Saturday programs because of the flooding.
The nonprofit was featured on an episode of Netflix's "Queer Eye" in late 2021. "Snow White of Central Texas" depicted Wallace-Griner and her work in operating the rescue.