Human chains are among viral stories inspiring us out of Hurricane Harvey

As floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey rose across Houston and parts of Texas, people formed human chains, carried pets above their heads and hopped into boats to save people they'd never met. 

Harvey dropped a record 50 inches of rain by Tuesday morning, causing flooding that left an estimated 30,000 people in need shelter, according to FEMA. Here are a few of countless inspiring rescues and selfless moments we've seen as communities have worked together to rescue people.

Human chains: 

In Houston, a woman who went into labor as Hurricane Harvey floodwaters began to rise, was helped to a rescue truck by neighbors and firefighters who formed a human chain, ABC reported. 

Annie Smith, 32, and her husband called 911 and the Texas National Guard’s emergency number for hours, but never got an answer. The Smiths, who are both doctors, told ABC they quickly realized they would have to deliver the baby at home. 

Smith called the director of her fellowship program, whose father lived near a fire department, and he was able to alert the rescue crew about Annie's situation, ABC reported. 

Around noon,  a truck pulled up to the couple's apartment. The water was so high that neighbors and firefighters had to form a human chain to rescue Smith, ABC reported. 

“I just kind of held onto them, one person at a time and crawled along their arms until the firemen helped me up the ladder onto the truck,” she told ABC.

On Tuesday, ABC 13 Houston, posted a photo of another human chain, which was formed to rescued an elderly man stuck in his car. 

"Harvey has taken a lot, but it will NEVER take our humanity," the station tweeted. "We have seen so many neighbors helping each other. THANK YOU." 

Stephanie Edward Mata, who filmed the incident, told Mashable a group of people formed the chain and pulled the man from his car. 

"There was a cop nearby where they took him to get checked out as he was so cold," she told Mashable. "I really wish I knew what happened to him next."

The ultimate sacrifice: Mom dies saving baby from floodwaters

Two Beaumont Police officers and fire rescue divers spotted a woman and her infant daughter floating in a canal in Beaumont, Texas on Tuesday. The crew pulled the woman and her daughter from the water. 

The 41-year-old mother “absolutely saved the child’s life," Officer Carol Riley, a spokeswoman for the Beaumont Police Department, told People.

“They were in the water for quite some time,” Riley says. “When the baby was found the baby was clinging to her. The mother did the best she could to keep her child up over the water.”

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“The baby also had a backpack that was helping her float on her back, and she was holding on to her mom,” Riley told People.

The mother later died, but the child is in stable condition, according to the Beaumont Police statement. 

Texas mom dies saving her infant daughter during Hurricane Harvey flooding

More inspiring stories: 

Animal rescue 

The pictures speak for themselves. Many people who were forced to leave their homes refused to leave their pets behind.  

In an effort to avoid some of the mistakes made in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina 12 years ago, animal safety advocates joined forces to clear shelters in the Houston area and beyond for animals displaced by Hurricane Harvey.

The national effort being undertaken by the Humane Society of the United States, Wings of Rescue, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, GreaterGood.org and other organizations involves flying homeless dogs and cats who already populated Texas shelters to facilities in other parts of the country. Those animals will go up for adoption in their new area while Texas shelters make room for pets who might wind up lost or abandoned in the wake of the hurricane and floods.

Houston furniture store home owner turns stores into shelters

Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale of Gallery Furniture in Houston gathered volunteers and his delivery trucks starting Sunday to rescue people, KENS-TV reported. 

"We had several Penske rental trucks, 24-foot trucks that you can get in any flooded street," he said Monday. "We sent volunteers out in Houston picking up people."

As of Tuesday,  400 children and adults are living at his two stores, and he has allowed the families to bring their pets.

FEMA: Emergency housing for Hurricane Harvey refugees will be 'frustrating' and 'a long process'

1,500 miles away from Texas two small boys raise money for hurricane victims 

In Western New York, two cousins named Dominic and Evan started a lemonade stand to raise money for hurricane victims, WGRZ-TV reported. 

The duo are selling lemonade for .25, with all proceeds going to the Food Bank of Houston. 

And the cousins aren't the only one raising money for Hurricane Harvey victims. A slew of celebrities have donated money along with tech companies and sports stars. 

Want to help? Here's how you can get started. 

Contributing: Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY; Sharon Ko, KENS-TV; WGRZ-TV