Pets are more than furry companions, they are confidants and full-fledged family members. Never are we more aware of this than during times of crisis, particularly natural disasters. Times like these see animals go missing and worse.

The New York Times recently published an article about Tropical Storm Harvey and the effect it has on family pets. It’s a long article, but well worth the read. And it’s paired with a number of photographs of volunteers and pet owners working to rescue animals from flood waters.

Plenty of us will never encounter a hurricane, much less one as severe as Harvey. But we can all imagine what it would be like to be separated from our beloved pet by circumstances beyond our control.

Read on to see how people are helping put lives back together by reuniting storm victims with their pets.

Belinda Penn of Spring, Texas sums it up best.

“Every situation is different, but for us, it was not an option to leave our pets behind,” Penn said. “They are my best friends.”