Turns out monster trucks are good for much more than just pancaking other cars. A fleet of the over-sized vehicles driven by volunteers have been traveling through the Texas cities hit hardest by Hurricane Harvey to help rescue people.
On Wednesday, a Facebook video surfaced showing an SUV with a set of monster truck wheels pulling a U.S. army vehicle out of deep flood waters in Houston. The clip was posted by Houston resident Josh James, who said the video was captured in the northwest part of the city in an area called Copperfield.
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Residents in the neighborhood flagged down the monster truck fleet and informed them of the army truck that was submerged in the water and that there were people in a nearby apartment complex in need of help, James said, according to ABC News.
James explained that he asked his friends from the Dallas-based dirt race track, Rednecks with Paychecks, to embark on the rescue missions. The five trucks that were brought from the track stand 10 feet off the ground and are able to take the first responders to areas that regular emergency vehicles can’t reach.
“When people need help and I can help, I’m out there,” James, 26, said.
With the help of his friend, Chris Stephens, and from car service company 3P Offroad, James has managed to coordinate a rescue team consisting of more than 600 personnel, 300 trucks, and 200 boats.
“We literally have people from all over,” James said.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management estimates that nearly 180,000 homes were affected, damaged, or destroyed in the hurricane. A spokesperson for the agency also said that number is expected to increase.
Learn how you can help the victims of Hurricane Harvey here.
