Austin-Travis County EMS has responded to about two dozen water rescues this morning amid flooding in western Travis County. The National Weather Service extended its flash flood warning for much of the Austin area until 7 p.m. This story will be updated.
LIVE:Updates and full coverage of the Kerr County flooding
6 p.m.: Marble Falls VFD chief missing after flood rescue call
Michael Phillips, chief of the Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department, has been missing since 4:30 a.m. Saturday when the veteran fireman was responding to a water rescue along Cow Creek, said Derek Machio, the Burnet County Emergency Management coordinator.
Responders lost contact with Phillips during the high-water rescue response, Machio said.
Cow Creek, which runs through Burnet and far western Travis counties, had significant flooding Friday night into Saturday morning, prompting multiple water rescues.
Machio wasn’t sure exactly how long Phillips had been with the volunteer fire department, but said it was “ages.”
Emergency responders are still searching for Phillips as well as the person that he was trying to rescue, Machio said.
5 p.m.: Georgetown shop owner worries about flooding
Robin Cervantes was spending Saturday afternoon trying to find sandbags to put in front of her Georgetown shop, Sanctuary Holistic Kitchen, along North Austin Avenue.
Although the retail complex that houses Cervantes’ shop sits 28 feet above the San Gabriel River, on Saturday morning, the water had climbed up a limestone wall and crested mere feet from the shop, she said.
Her store used to be located by Georgetown High School, but it was destroyed by a burst pipe during the 2021 winter storms. The possibility of another disaster left Cervantes on high alert.
“It’s a little nerve-racking,” she said.
About a mile northeast from Cervantes’ shop, Kat Zela and Wes Wallace came to San Gabriel Park on Saturday afternoon to check on the skate park, where Wallace teaches classes, and stopped to look at the flooded river.
“You just see a light post in the middle of the river,” Zela said, pointing.
Flooding is part of the reality in Georgetown, but the river was significantly flooded Saturday, Zela said.
4:40 p.m.: Boil-water notice for part of Georgetown
A boil-water notice has been issued for city of Georgetown water customers in neighborhoods near Interstate 35 because of a water main break in the area. Officials said the break is likely related to the flooding conditions and that customers in the area may have low or even no water pressure.
The affected neighborhoods include North Old Town/North Addition, Parkview Estates, Katy Crossing, Stillwater, Crystal Knoll, Villages of Berry Creek, Golden Oaks, Reatta Trails, Country Club and Rivery.
To ensure the destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, washing of hands and face and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to use. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes.
Officials said the boil-water notice is in effect out of an abundance of caution and that they will issue a notice to customers when the notice is rescinded.
2:10 p.m.: LCRA discourages boating, swimming in Highland Lakes
The Lower Colorado River Authority is urging people to avoid boating and swimming in the Highland Lakes because of flood debris, fast-moving flows and bacteria levels that traditionally increase after a flooding event.
“The lakes remain open, but as a precaution we are recommending everyone stay off lakes Travis, LBJ and Marble Falls until further notice,” said John Hofmann, the LCRA’s executive vice president of water. “This is especially important at night when visibility is reduced, as some of the navigational buoys that help guide boaters have been damaged or destroyed in the flooding.”
Lake Travis has risen more than 11 feet since Friday morning and is expected to continue to rise, according to the LCRA, which manages the Highland Lakes. Lake Buchanan also has risen since Friday and is expected to rise at least 10 additional feet in the next few days.
As of Saturday afternoon, the LCRA has flood operations underway at Inks Dam, which creates Inks Lake; at Starcke Dam, which creates Lake Marble Falls; and at Wirtz Dam, which creates Lake LBJ. The floodwater is being moved downstream to Lake Travis. Flows downstream of the dams are higher and much faster than usual.
“People need to use extreme caution under these conditions,” Hofmann said. “Unless it’s an emergency, we are encouraging people to stay away from these three lakes for the immediate future.”
1:45 p.m.: At least three dead in Travis County flood
At least three deaths have been reported in Travis County after torrential downpours caused widespread flooding in Central Texas on Friday night into Saturday morning.
Travis County spokesman Hector Nieto confirmed three deaths in Travis County, with the discovery of a body in the Briarcliff area in western Travis County.
Chief Donnie Norman of Travis County Emergency Services District No. 1 in Northwest Travis County said earlier Saturday that two people had died, and 10 others, including a teenage girl observed being washed away, are currently missing.
1:15 p.m.: Two dead, 10 missing in Travis County flood
Chief Donnie Norman of Travis County Emergency Services District No. 1 in Northwest Travis County said two people have died, and 10 others, including a teenage girl observed being washed away, are currently missing.
The area remains under a flash flood warning until 2 p.m.
1 p.m.: Central Texas resident loses home in flood
Robin Bates stood at the end of her driveway Saturday afternoon, looking at her destroyed home. For 22 years, she and her husband had curated a garden with grapevines and fig, plum and other trees.
Those trees — huge pecans — had saved her home from being washed into the river at 1 a.m. Saturday.
The two huge trunks held the mobile home in place from the banks of the Big Sandy Creek that had engulfed the Leander neighborhood only hours before. By noon, it still roared muddy.
“We had floods in the past,” Bates said. “It never came all the way to the house. Never.”
Bates and her daughter, who lived in a trailer home on the property, walked through the mud behind the house and picked up tools strewn on the ground.
The flooding was unlike any Bates had seen.
“The house is attached and secured with straps,” Bates said. “Water is much more powerful.”
The storm woke Bates up at midnight. By 2 a.m., she had packed her four cats in travel crates and evacuated to her friend’s house on higher ground.
When she returned later that morning, the two homes across the road were planted in her front yard, swept off their anchors.
The roof of one home, which had plowed into Bates’, was caved in. Bates had found the resident inside that morning. Though he’d had trouble walking, he was all right.
By early afternoon, Bates, her daughter and her friends, who had come to help her, were rushing to gather belongings. The neighbor’s gas tank had ruptured when it slammed into Bates’ home and the smell of natural gas permeated the air.
A fire department official later told them the risk of explosion was low, but at the time, they feared lingering too long.
Six months ago, Bates had lost her husband and she’d considered moving.
“Time to start over.”
12:30 p.m.: Evacuations in Williamson County amid flooding
Areas in western Williamson County and along the South Fork of the San Gabriel River east of Georgetown, particularly mobile home parks, have been evacuated due to flooding, Williamson County officials said Saturday.
Swift water rescue teams have rescued up to 25 people, mostly from homes. In addition, 16 people were evacuated from Hope House in Liberty Hill.
The county’s office of emergency management has activated its Emergency Operations Center to coordinate resources and to request assistance from the state due to the flooding, officials said.
Residents of three Georgetown apartment complexes — Two Rivers Apartments, San Gabriel Apartments and Waters Edge — have been told to evacuate due to rising floodwaters from the San Gabriel River. A temporary evacuation center has been opened at the Georgetown Recreation Center, 1003 N. Austin Ave.
The Georgetown Animal Shelter has evacuated due to flooding, and the pets have been moved to the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter. Officials said the regional shelter is overcapacity and are asking anyone who can foster a dog or cat to visit the shelter at 1855 SE Inner Loop until 6 p.m.
Information on flood safety and available resources can be found at wilcotx.gov. To check for closed roads, visit atxfloods.com. Drivers can also check drivetexas.org for information on state roads.
12:10 p.m.: Leander brothers recount waking up to flood
Brothers Kevin and Archie Basey, who have lived in a neighborhood off Nameless Road in Leander for 50 years, woke up about 1:30 am Saturday morning to their property flooding.
Kevin Basey lived in a trailer home adjacent to the house, but by the early morning hours, the water had risen to his chest.
“It started coming up through the floor and next thing I know, it started rising and rising and rising,” he said.
Basey’s loveseat broke the door, which he thinks let the water flow out and saved him from being swept away in the trailer home.
In the yard, the Baseys’ car port was mangled and wrapped around a tree. They pointed across the street to a lot strewn with tree limbs, fence posts and a damaged car. Their neighbors’ mobile homes were gone, they said.
“We’re alive,” Archie Basey said. “That’s the main thing.”
11:05 a.m.: Central Texas residents survey flood damage
Liberty Hill resident Shannon Garcia stood at the crumbled remains of a creek-crossing bridge on Nameless Road on Saturday morning. Chunks of fractured asphalt and an enormous downed tree covered the roadway.
Her 19-year-old son, from whom she hadn’t heard all morning, lives on the other side. His phone was probably dead, she said.
“It’s incredible,” she said, surveying the damage near her son’s home.
She had traveled to Leander from Liberty Hill, where she received 15 inches of rain overnight, and her neighbor’s home flooded.
10:30 a.m.: Flash flood warning for Austin
The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for much of the Austin area until 2 p.m.
Forecasters said some locations that will experience flash flooding include Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Anderson Mill, Tanglewood Forest, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Windemere, Leander, Lakeway, Lago Vista, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, Hudson Bend, The Hills, Rollingwood, Barton Creek, Mansfield Dam, Shady Hollow and Onion Creek.
10:15 a.m.: Burnet County authorities search for missing fire official amid flood
Burnet County authorities are searching for a fire official who appears to have been swept away by floodwaters early Saturday, Sheriff Calvin Boyd said.
Boyd did not immediately identify the missing man but said he was responding to an emergency call when his SUV appears to have been washed away. Boyd said crews have since recovered the official’s vehicle.
Boyd described the man as a well-known member of the first responder community.
“There are ongoing efforts right now, a search for him as we speak,” Boyd said.
8:30 a.m.: Multiple water rescues amid flood emergency in western Travis County
Austin-Travis County EMS has responded to about two dozen water rescues as a flooding emergency is unfolding in western Travis County on Saturday morning, officials said.
The epicenter is near Cow Creek off FM 1431. EMS Chief of Staff Wesley Hopkins said crews found multiple trailer homes that appear to have been washed away. It’s unclear if the trailers were occupied at the time of the flooding.
“We don’t know who is missing,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Williamson County, residents of RV parks along the San Gabriel River east of Georgetown, including Riverside, Shady River and Goodwater, are being urged to evacuate, Sheriff Matt Lindemann said.
As of 8:30 a.m., emergency crews were going door to door urging the RV park tenants to evacuate.
He said that areas around Liberty Hill saw “significant flooding” overnight and crews have conducted multiple water rescues and closed numerous roads.
Lindemann said he is not aware of any injuries, deaths or reports of missing people in Williamson County.
The National Weather Service said Saturday morning that over a foot of rain has fallen overnight in parts of Burnet County, causing streams to rise rapidly and floodwaters to begin moving downstream in Burnet, Williamson and northwest Travis counties.
“Numerous water rescues are ongoing. Seek higher ground immediately if you are near a swelling stream,” it said.
