People were sharing this devastating photo on Sunday that apparently shows residents of La Vita Bella — a nursing home in Dickinson, Texas — sitting in floodwater.
Brittany Viegas, chief communications officer with the Galveston County Office of Emergency Management, told BuzzFeed News in an email that there was "a huge rescue operation" and "first responders have evacuated and are in the process of transporting them to a medical facility."
The Galveston County Daily News reported 15 senior citizens were rescued via helicopter. There were initially questions about whether the viral photo was actually taken at La Vita Bella, but local media reported it was taken at the residence.
The Twitter user who appears to have initially tweeted the photo, Timothy McIntosh, toldThe Daily News that his mother-in-law owns La Vita Bella. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BuzzFeed News.
Concerned people shared the heartbreaking photo on Twitter, asking for help.
"This is absolutely unbelievable," another person said in response.
Viegas said that hospitals, right now, are packed. "Most hospitals in our areas can’t take in more patients," she said. "Thousands are still trapped in their homes, Dickinson is the worst off for Galveston County."
"Search and Rescue efforts have been extremely difficult with this weather but we are doing the best we can," she added. "We have all local, state and federal resources deployed. Things are very bad here."
On Monday, CBS showed a new photo of the women after their rescue: safe and dry.
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