BEAUMONT, Texas — If hurricane season has taught us anything it's that even a tropical storm can dump inches of water in hours.
We saw it firsthand with Tropical Storm Alex in Florida over the weekend. When water floods streets and buildings in Southeast Texas certain large reptiles can have more room to wander.
Gator Country has finished installing an 8-foot fence that can withstand 1,100 pounds of pressure and prevent their gators from roaming during flooding.
They say not even Big Tex, a 14-foot alligator, can get through it.
"When the water comes then we close everything down," says Gator Country's Gary Saurage.
Big Tex swam away from Gator Country in September 2019, after Tropical Storm Imelda dumped 43 inches of rain in three days.
Sausage explains that his facility is in a "bowl" bordered by Interstate 10 on one side and Highway 365 on another.
He says they've learned a lot after several floods
"We finally did it. We were able to high fence all 12 acres that sits inside Gator Country," he says.
From now on if you see an alligator outside the facility during flooding it won't be one of theirs he says.
"Our tallest water mark in here was five foot so we knew if we go three foot over that, that would contain the alligators," he tells 12News.
"We put our fence posts an extra three feet in the ground." he adds.
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Saurage visited a few deer ranches for research and then invested $40,000 to install the 8-foot fence.
"I went with a pretty high grade, thick heavy metal and they did a tensile test with me. it will actually put up with 1,100 pounds of being pushed," he says.
Saurage says the new fencing will help him sleep at night during hurricane season so you shouldn't be worried.
"We are better prepared today than we ever have been," Saurage said.
It took about three weeks to build the fence and the 2022 hurricane season could be its first test.