Gator an unwelcome visitor to Jefferson County couple amid Imelda floods

A large alligator surfaces from the floodwater at the home of Denise Broussard along Highway 365 near Winnie on Sept. 19, 2019. A large alligator surfaces from the floodwater at the home of Denise Broussard along Highway 365 near Winnie on Sept. 19, 2019. Photo: Denise Broussard, Contributed Photo Photo: Denise Broussard, Contributed Photo Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Gator an unwelcome visitor to Jefferson County couple amid Imelda floods 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The Jefferson County home that Denise Broussard and her husband rebuilt after Hurricane Harvey was surrounded Thursday by at least three feet of water — and a large alligator.

"There's a big one. And maybe a couple more," said Broussard. "I think he's under the house now."

The Broussards' home is across FM 365 from Gator Country, a 15-acre alligator preserve, about 10 miles northeast of Winnie.

Her husband went outside the house to check the water level amid torrential rains from Imelda. He then spied the six-foot invader in their yard.

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Broussard, 62, managed to snap a photo of the beast as it surfaced. She watched the carnivorous caiman swim to the front of their home and vanish below the structure.

"All I could see was the humongous head. Oh, my Lord. How are we going to get out of here," she sighed.

The couple ushered their cats — among them mothers with young kittens — and dogs from the porch and into the home. Broussard stuck a puppy in the bathroom because he was especially interested in the reptilian visitor.

Broussard next grabbed a rifle.

"With all the cats up here, I'm sure he would have come up another two or three feet," she said. "We had the rifle just in case he tried to come up."

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The couple moved into their new home — built on a five-foot platform — this summer after Harvey left their home a flooded, moldy mess in August 2017. They tore down the structure and started over.

On Thursday, Broussard was hoping the water would stop rising.

"We're pretty much sitting ducks right now," she said. "We're surrounded. It looks like a lake property."

And even when the water finally recedes, she'll be extra careful when she goes outside.

"I'm not stepping off that porch until I know there's no gator under our house."

nicole.hensley@chron.com