People in Houston formed a ‘human chain’ to save an elderly man trapped in a car

Hurricane Harvey has left a devastating path of destruction in its wake. But sometimes tragedy can bring out the best in people. That was the case in Houston, where a group of people banded together to form a “human chain” to help rescue someone trapped in a sinking car. The loca

ABC 13 Houston captured the inspiring moment on camera and posted the photo to Twitter. The caption read: “#Harvey has taken a lot, but it will NEVER take our humanity. We have seen so many neighbors helping each other. THANK YOU #HopeForHouston.”

The stunning photo quickly went viral, having now been re-tweeted more than 6,000 times. People on Twitter also chimed in to express their support for this display of human solidarity.

“When bad things go down, honestly, you want a bunch of Texans around. #harvey #Texas,” read one comment.”

“Houston, you rock. Your community spirit in the face of such great loss has given me back a little hope and some faith in my fellow humans,” wrote another.

So how, exactly, did the people in the picture come together to help out a fellow hurricane victim in need? A group of people noticed that an elderly man was stuck inside his SUV, which was succumbing to the water. Because they didn’t have a rope, they decided to band together and hold hands instead.

“The people had no rope to get him out so they made a chain holding each other,” Stephanie Edward Mata, who was driving down the other side of the flooded street and caught the whole thing on video, explained to Mashable. “They pulled the door open and one gentleman got ahold of him as they held on until they got him safe.”

Edward Mata said she’s not sure what happened to the man after his rescue, but that a police officer was on the scene to help.

This is not the first time that people have formed a “human chain” to save someone from tragedy. Back in July, more than 80 beachgoers locked hands to pull a drowning family to shore in Panama City Beach, Florida.