KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station
At least 5 people dead, more than a dozen missing after flash flooding in the Austin area
By Chelsey Zhu, Maya Fawaz, Audrey McGlinchy, Wynne Davis, Kailey Hunt
July 5, 2025 at 7:37 AM CDT
Sunday updates on the deadly flooding can be found here.
At least five people have died and more than a dozen are missing after heavy flooding in the Austin region Saturday.
Travis County officials confirmed three deaths and 10 people missing in the northwestern part of the county. The Burnet County Sheriff's Office reported two deaths and six people missing. Officials in Williamson County said three residents could not be located.
A boil water notice has been issued for parts of Georgetown, including these neighborhoods: North Old Town/North Addition, Parkview Estates, Katy Crossing, Stillwater, Crystal Knoll, Villages of Berry Creek, Berry Creek, Serenada, Golden Oaks, Reatta Trails, Country Club and Rivery.
Affected residents should boil their water and ensure it’s cooled before using it for drinking, washing, cooking or teeth brushing. “The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes,” the notice said.
Twenty-five people were rescued from the Sandy Creek neighborhood Saturday. Austin-Travis County EMS boat teams responded to a call from a family trapped in their home and "found dozens of people in need of help, clinging to trees, power poles, and on rooftops," according to a post from the department on X.
“The flooding we’re seeing in parts of western Travis County is devastating,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown said in a statement. “We have activated all available emergency resources and will continue working closely with state and local partners to help those affected recover from this disaster.”
FM 1431, which connects Lago Vista and Marble Falls, has "entire chunks of asphalt" missing in some sections as a result of the flooding, and a portion of the road near Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge is closed, Travis County officials said.
The National Weather Service had issued a rare flash flood emergency for parts of Travis, Williamson and Burnet counties for most of Saturday. Flash flood emergencies are “saved for days where we’re expecting catastrophic-type damage or widespread damage or even loss of life," NWS told Texas Public Radio.
The Lower Colorado River Authority is encouraging people to stay off Lake Travis, Lake Lyndon B. Johnson and Lake Marble Falls for the next few days, especially at night, to avoid flood debris and increased bacteria levels in the water.
“People need to use extreme caution under these conditions,” John Hofmann, LCRA executive vice president of water, said in a statement. “Flows in the lakes can be deceptively fast, and we want people to remain safe."
Austin officials issued a waterway ban prohibiting anyone from "using personal and commercial watercraft, wet bikes, motorized surfboards, canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, and other similar devices."
"Rainfall has created high and swift waters which, combined with debris, has made recreational, commercial, and navigational use of area waterways within the City of Austin unsafe," officials said in a statement.
The ban is in effect until Monday at noon and includes Barton Creek, Bull Creek, Lake Austin from Mansfield Dam to Tom Miller Dam, Lady Bird Lake and the Colorado River downstream of Longhorn Dam.
https://x.com/NWSSanAntonio/status/1941482005776171093
Water rescues, evacuations and resources
Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday extended a disaster declaration issued for Kerr County to include Travis, Williamson, Burnet, Caldwell, Guadalupe and Bexar counties. He also signed a request for federal assistance in response to the flooding.
The Burnet County Sheriff's Office said public safety agencies and state and regional partners had conducted more than 50 rescues in the area. Travis County emergency responders have reported multiple water rescues.
Williamson County reported that 26 people had been rescued over the course of the day. Officials said there were no confirmed deaths as of Saturday evening. The county has declared a local state of disaster due to flooding.
The city of Georgetown evacuated the San Gabriel Masonic Lodge, VFW Post, Holly Street Village and San Gabriel Crisis Center.
The Georgetown Animal Shelter has been evacuated, and animals were being transferred to the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter.
A man peers over a railing at the San Gabriel River. (6000x4000, AR: 1.5)
City and county officials told residents of apartments and mobile home parks in Georgetown near the San Gabriel River to evacuate. This includes the Two Rivers, San Gabriel and Waters Edge apartments, and the Riverside, Shady River and Goodwater RV parks.
Steffi Rochford, resident of the Two Rivers apartment complex, woke up to floodwaters from the San Gabriel River rushing yards away from her building.
“ It's usually a very small river, I never would've expected it to come this high,” she said. “It was shocking this morning when I woke up and looked out the window.”
Rochford lives alone with her two cats. She was advised to leave under the evacuation order, but chose to stay. If the water gets any higher, she said, she’ll consider heading to a friend’s place.
Daren Miller, a resident of the Shady River RV park, said he was drinking his morning coffee when he first noticed police arriving.
“I asked one, ‘What's going on?’” Miller said. “I was told, ‘You need to evacuate because there's going to be a flood.’”
Miller decided to move his RV to a parking lot at a nearby high school. But other residents, he said, were more hesitant to comply with the evacuation order.
“So I asked a couple of residents, some of the people that have been there for years, you know — ‘Is it really going to get that bad?’” he said. “[They said] it probably won't get that bad.”
That turned out to be a mistake, Miller said.
By the time some residents decided to evacuate, floodwaters from the San Gabriel had already begun to inundate the RV park.
“There’s a lot of nice campers floating down there,” he said. “I would have never dreamed that it would go that fast. If you wait till the water's at your feet, it’s too late.”
The city has set up evacuation points at the Georgetown Recreation Center and First United Methodist Church.
The Lower Colorado River Authority, which operates a series of dams and lakes along the Lower Colorado River to manage flooding, opened multiple flood gates overnight at Wirtz and Starke dams. That allows runoff from the Llano River into Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls and then Lake Travis. LCRA expects to hold the floodwaters in Lake Travis.
Here are a few ways to monitor flooding and potential impacts:
Rescue efforts continue in the Hill Country; Austinites pray for missing campers
The death toll from flash flooding in the Kerrville area on the Fourth of July has risen to 43, including 28 adults and 15 children. Twenty-seven girls from Camp Mystic, a private girls camp along the Guadalupe River, are still missing.
At least 40 people gathered Saturday morning at a church in West Austin for a vigil.
The Rev. Paige Alvarez Hanks, a senior rector at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, confirmed she had been in touch with a number of families whose children are missing, but declined to give an exact number.
Several girls who came to the church vigil wore shirts from Camp Mystic. One woman told KUT News that many of those seated in the pews were praying for a local second-grader who has not been located.
But even as first responders continued searching for the missing in the Hill Country, dangerous flooding hit closer to home around Austin.
Ten minutes into the Saturday morning vigil, flash flood alerts blared from the churchgoers' phones. It warned people in the Austin area that creeks and streams could overflow, and to get to higher ground. The vigil paused until the sound of the warnings ended.
At least five people have died and more than a dozen are missing after heavy flooding in the Austin region Saturday.
Travis County officials confirmed three deaths and 10 people missing in the northwestern part of the county. The Burnet County Sheriff's Office reported two deaths and six people missing. Officials in Williamson County said three residents could not be located.
A boil water notice has been issued for parts of Georgetown, including these neighborhoods: North Old Town/North Addition, Parkview Estates, Katy Crossing, Stillwater, Crystal Knoll, Villages of Berry Creek, Berry Creek, Serenada, Golden Oaks, Reatta Trails, Country Club and Rivery.
Affected residents should boil their water and ensure it’s cooled before using it for drinking, washing, cooking or teeth brushing. “The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes,” the notice said.
Twenty-five people were rescued from the Sandy Creek neighborhood Saturday. Austin-Travis County EMS boat teams responded to a call from a family trapped in their home and "found dozens of people in need of help, clinging to trees, power poles, and on rooftops," according to a post from the department on X.
“The flooding we’re seeing in parts of western Travis County is devastating,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown said in a statement. “We have activated all available emergency resources and will continue working closely with state and local partners to help those affected recover from this disaster.”
FM 1431, which connects Lago Vista and Marble Falls, has "entire chunks of asphalt" missing in some sections as a result of the flooding, and a portion of the road near Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge is closed, Travis County officials said.
The National Weather Service had issued a rare flash flood emergency for parts of Travis, Williamson and Burnet counties for most of Saturday. Flash flood emergencies are “saved for days where we’re expecting catastrophic-type damage or widespread damage or even loss of life," NWS told Texas Public Radio.
The Lower Colorado River Authority is encouraging people to stay off Lake Travis, Lake Lyndon B. Johnson and Lake Marble Falls for the next few days, especially at night, to avoid flood debris and increased bacteria levels in the water.
“People need to use extreme caution under these conditions,” John Hofmann, LCRA executive vice president of water, said in a statement. “Flows in the lakes can be deceptively fast, and we want people to remain safe."
Austin officials issued a waterway ban prohibiting anyone from "using personal and commercial watercraft, wet bikes, motorized surfboards, canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, and other similar devices."
"Rainfall has created high and swift waters which, combined with debris, has made recreational, commercial, and navigational use of area waterways within the City of Austin unsafe," officials said in a statement.
The ban is in effect until Monday at noon and includes Barton Creek, Bull Creek, Lake Austin from Mansfield Dam to Tom Miller Dam, Lady Bird Lake and the Colorado River downstream of Longhorn Dam.
https://x.com/NWSSanAntonio/status/1941482005776171093
Water rescues, evacuations and resources
Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday extended a disaster declaration issued for Kerr County to include Travis, Williamson, Burnet, Caldwell, Guadalupe and Bexar counties. He also signed a request for federal assistance in response to the flooding.
The Burnet County Sheriff's Office said public safety agencies and state and regional partners had conducted more than 50 rescues in the area. Travis County emergency responders have reported multiple water rescues.
Williamson County reported that 26 people had been rescued over the course of the day. Officials said there were no confirmed deaths as of Saturday evening. The county has declared a local state of disaster due to flooding.
The city of Georgetown evacuated the San Gabriel Masonic Lodge, VFW Post, Holly Street Village and San Gabriel Crisis Center.
The Georgetown Animal Shelter has been evacuated, and animals were being transferred to the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter.
A man peers over a railing at the San Gabriel River. (6000x4000, AR: 1.5)
City and county officials told residents of apartments and mobile home parks in Georgetown near the San Gabriel River to evacuate. This includes the Two Rivers, San Gabriel and Waters Edge apartments, and the Riverside, Shady River and Goodwater RV parks.
Steffi Rochford, resident of the Two Rivers apartment complex, woke up to floodwaters from the San Gabriel River rushing yards away from her building.
“ It's usually a very small river, I never would've expected it to come this high,” she said. “It was shocking this morning when I woke up and looked out the window.”
Rochford lives alone with her two cats. She was advised to leave under the evacuation order, but chose to stay. If the water gets any higher, she said, she’ll consider heading to a friend’s place.
Daren Miller, a resident of the Shady River RV park, said he was drinking his morning coffee when he first noticed police arriving.
“I asked one, ‘What's going on?’” Miller said. “I was told, ‘You need to evacuate because there's going to be a flood.’”
Miller decided to move his RV to a parking lot at a nearby high school. But other residents, he said, were more hesitant to comply with the evacuation order.
“So I asked a couple of residents, some of the people that have been there for years, you know — ‘Is it really going to get that bad?’” he said. “[They said] it probably won't get that bad.”
That turned out to be a mistake, Miller said.
By the time some residents decided to evacuate, floodwaters from the San Gabriel had already begun to inundate the RV park.
“There’s a lot of nice campers floating down there,” he said. “I would have never dreamed that it would go that fast. If you wait till the water's at your feet, it’s too late.”
The city has set up evacuation points at the Georgetown Recreation Center and First United Methodist Church.
The Lower Colorado River Authority, which operates a series of dams and lakes along the Lower Colorado River to manage flooding, opened multiple flood gates overnight at Wirtz and Starke dams. That allows runoff from the Llano River into Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls and then Lake Travis. LCRA expects to hold the floodwaters in Lake Travis.
Here are a few ways to monitor flooding and potential impacts:
- Follow the National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio’s account on X for the latest weather updates.
- Follow Austin Emergency Management on Facebook or X for local notifications and tips.
- Go to WARN Central Texas to sign up for emergency alerts.
- Visit Austin Energy’s website to report a power outage or see a map of current outages. If you're a customer of another energy provider, Bluebonnet Electric Co-op, Pedernales Electric Co-op and Oncor have their own outage maps.
- Check the Lower Colorado River Authority's HydroMet monitoring system to check rainfall totals for the area in near real time. You can also look at lake levels, streamflow and river stage.
- Visit ATXFloods.com to look at which roads in Central Texas are closed due to flooding.
- KUT News also has a list of useful accounts on X that post about local weather.
Rescue efforts continue in the Hill Country; Austinites pray for missing campers
The death toll from flash flooding in the Kerrville area on the Fourth of July has risen to 43, including 28 adults and 15 children. Twenty-seven girls from Camp Mystic, a private girls camp along the Guadalupe River, are still missing.
At least 40 people gathered Saturday morning at a church in West Austin for a vigil.
The Rev. Paige Alvarez Hanks, a senior rector at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, confirmed she had been in touch with a number of families whose children are missing, but declined to give an exact number.
Several girls who came to the church vigil wore shirts from Camp Mystic. One woman told KUT News that many of those seated in the pews were praying for a local second-grader who has not been located.
But even as first responders continued searching for the missing in the Hill Country, dangerous flooding hit closer to home around Austin.
Ten minutes into the Saturday morning vigil, flash flood alerts blared from the churchgoers' phones. It warned people in the Austin area that creeks and streams could overflow, and to get to higher ground. The vigil paused until the sound of the warnings ended.