Footage shows devastation in Texas from Imelda

Footage shared across social media Thursday showed major flooding and devastation in southeast Texas as then-Tropical Depression Imelda, which was later downgraded to an open wave, moved into the region.

CBS shared footage of a photographer from a local affiliate station rescuing a mother and her children after their car became stuck in floodwaters.

WATCH: A @KHOU photographer rescues a mother and her children after their car became stuck in flood waters from #Imelda in northeast Houston, Texas Thursday; several creeks and bayous in the city have risen to high levels, officials say https://t.co/HYwHZbZVcT pic.twitter.com/sviB5DGRrR

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) September 19, 2019

Highways and roads were abandoned with cars still on the road as rains slammed Texas and Louisiana.  

DOWNTOWN FLOODING: Incredible new video shows a swollen Buffalo Bayou taking over streets near UH Downtown. | https://t.co/NrPtNWjEVP pic.twitter.com/qi4isvNprl

— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) September 19, 2019

THIS IS CRAZY: Normally a 4-lane highway. Not today.

Everyone going southbound on 59 forced to form a single file line – the left shoulder is the only part that isn’t flooded!

Traffic crawling!

AVOID 59S NEAR NEW CANEY!!#Imelda #Texas #flooding https://t.co/UD7dvMlA5A pic.twitter.com/xoHdGkZg0w

— Katherine Marchand (@KatherineMABC13) September 19, 2019

More aerial and ground footage outside of Houston from the extreme flooding that #Imelda has produced. Beaumont, TX has seen torrential rainfall coming from this storm. pic.twitter.com/CoIYh0wzkk

— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) September 19, 2019

Chambers County, Texas, Sheriff Brian Hawthorne told ABC affiliate KTRK that the destruction from Imelda was so bad that it made Hurricane Harvey “look like a little thunderstorm,” referring to the Category 4 storm that devastated Texas and Louisiana in 2017.

The worst of the flooding from Imelda was reported north and east of Houston, including in Beaumont, Texas.

WOW | This is a picture taken at College and M L King dr. This flooding is devastating in Beaumont, TX. @12NewsNow #TropicalDepressionImelda pic.twitter.com/45V9XKFHHk

— Makensie Hinkle (@MakensieTVNews) September 19, 2019

CHAMBERS COUNTY FLOODING: This is so hard to watch. Hankamer neighbors are carrying what they can as water races inside their homes. There’s at least half of foot of water in this house. Watch live @abc13houston coverage here: https://t.co/UUQ3SiRvos pic.twitter.com/kzyGylKKGi

— Nick Natario (@NickABC13) September 19, 2019

Other footage showed people trying to save local animals in the state from the floodwaters.

Dozens of horses were rescued at the Cypress Trails Equestrian Center along Cypress Creek on Thursday. #kprc2 #HouNews #Houston #Imelda #HouWX #Weather #Flooding pic.twitter.com/av9krIC946

— KPRC 2 Houston (@KPRC2) September 19, 2019

More i10 flooding madness: these cows are stuck. No place to go. We are forced to head back to #Houston from #Winnie on the wrong side of the road. #abc13 https://t.co/Cuopv5mmW9 pic.twitter.com/QNA4p9Bj4Z

— Courtney Fischer (@CourtneyABC13) September 19, 2019

At least one person has died from the storm, with that person dying after moving his horse from flood waters when an electrical storm hit, NBC News reported.