Horse farms flooded along the Sabine River
VINTON, LA (KPLC) - Irene Martinez and her husband moved to a farm just four months ago to raise and train racehorses.
They were excited to live near the Sabine River.
But now, they live in it.
Their trailer and stables are on an island.
"I don't have a boat to get to my house That's the only way to get there. It's unbelievable. It's a nightmare," said Irene Martinez.
The Martinez family own 29 racehorses. They have been feeding the horses by taking hay and grain across flooded Wimberly Drive in a borrowed boat.
When rain from Hurricane Harvey began to fall and the Martinez barn filled with water, Irene thought that might be it for the horses:"Were they going to drown? You know, the consequences and we have nowhere to go. I thought we all would drown."
Paul Beaudreaux lives across the street. He works at a different horse farm which has also been flooded by the Sabine.
The stables are full of water and horse pens have become part of the river.
"We need FEMA to get out here. There's a lot of work to be done. Most people here don't have flood insurance because of last year it's unaffordable this year," said Beaudreaux.
Ilene Martinez adds:"If you don't have a boat, you're not going anywhere to eat, the horses, we just need a little help to move them out until this is over with."
Copyright 2017 KPLC. All rights reserved.
