10-Foot Alligator Blocks Traffic On Texas Highway, Gets Rescued By Officials Amid Tropical Storm

Texas officials have braved the strong winds and rain stemming from tropical storm Nicholas to rescue a 10-foot alligator that wandered onto a highway, causing a massive traffic jam.

Gary Saurage, the owner of alligator rescue service Gator County, received a 4:00 a.m. wake-up call from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday. The caller informed him about the gator blocking traffic from Major Drive to College Street in Beaumont on Interstate 10, according to a post in the facility's official Facebook account.

"I guess the alligator was trying to evacuate," Saurage wrote in the post. He added that the gator was safely rescued and has since been relocated to Gator Country Adventure Park, home to over 450 American alligators, crocodiles and reptiles, many of which were acquired through "nuisance rescues, donations, other institutions or abandonment," according to the park's website.

The rescued reptile was named Major Nicholas at the facility to honor the storm. The gator reportedly got a little feisty while at the park and tore through a door, according to a follow-up post on the Gator Country's Facebook page.

"This is the alligator we had to move from I-10 and Major Drive at 4 a.m. last night in the storm," the post, which carried a picture of the rescued gator, stated. "He tore the damn door off," said the update.

Nicholas made landfall in the state, carrying 75 mph winds at around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. It was a Category 1 hurricane and soon downgraded to a tropical storm, ABC 13 reported.

Officials in the Houston area warned the residents of a flash flood. Houston Public Works and all other departments have been activated to respond to a severe weather emergency. More than 470,000 Houston-area residents remained without power as of Monday in addition to 95,000 in Louisiana, according to Poweroutrage.us.