Death Toll in Central Texas Flooding Reaches 66, Rescuers Continue Searches

Seven people are dead and up to 18 people are possibly missing in both Burnet and Travis counties as both areas continue to be under a flash flood watch, officials said.

Travis County Judge Andy Brown confirmed four people had died due to flooding in the county. Heavy rain started to fall across the region around midnight Friday, Brown said at a news conference Sunday.

Northwestern Travis County was hit hard, which Brown said triggered widespread flash floods along Sandy Creek and Cal Creek.

In Burnet County, three people have died, Burnet County Sheriff Chief Deputy Alan Trevino said at a news conference Sunday.

Preston Prince has been identified by Trevino as one of the people who died. Prince went missing near Park Road 4 and US 281 when his vehicle was washed off the road, Trevino said at the news conference. 

His vehicle was found about 100 yards from the roadway. Prince’s body was found about 8 miles from Burnet during searches in Marble Falls, Trevino said.

They are continuing to search for five people, one of whom is Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Chief Michael Phillips. Drones, helicopters, boats and cadaver dogs are being utilized from several agencies to locate those still missing, Trevino said.

There have been 63 rescues so far in Burnet County, according to Trevino.

Travis and Burnett counties are under a flood watch until 7 p.m. Sunday with rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches, with isolated 10 inches possible, according to the National Weather Service.

Fatalities in Travis and Burnet counties add to the 59 deaths of adults and children in Kerr County, where heavy rains on Friday caused the Guadalupe River to crest over its banks.

In Travis County, by 3 a.m. Friday, the number of 911 flood-related calls spiked to 112 and continued to come in steadily for hours after that, according to Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez.

Flood waters rose so quickly that roadway access to many of those callers was completely cut off, Hernandez said at the news conference.

In response, Judge Brown said he issued a disaster declaration. Gov. Greg Abbott also expanded the disaster declaration that he signed Friday to include Travis, Williamson, Burnet, Caldwell, Guadalupe and Bexar counties. 

On Sunday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced President Donald Trump’s approval to grant federal disaster assistance for Texas areas hit by the floods.

“This helps us to activate mutual aid resources, coordinate with the state and federal partners and accelerate emergency response for recovery efforts,” Brown said.

The county has deployed an emergency response effort, a medical and mental health response team and has established a reunification center for families searching for loved ones.

There are also planned search and rescue efforts along the 18-mile stretch of Sandy Creek, he said.

Cal Creek is now only accessible by boat, according to Hernandez. The roadway was washed away, she said. The sheriff’s office will use a patrol boat to search the Cal Creek area.

So far, 25 people have been rescued by Austin’s Travis County EMS team, according to its chief, Rob Lucas.

The county has 11 to 13 unconfirmed people missing, Brown said. A majority of the people reported missing were by word of mouth or concern, he said at the news conference.

If people are in need of assistance, Travis County officials ask they reach out to the national American Red Cross Hotline at 800-733-2767. Those in need of help will be redirected by the hotline local Red Cross in Travis County, officials said.

In Burnet County, officials ask anyone whose home was damaged to report it by using the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool.

While flood waters seem to be receding in many areas, Travis County Judge Brown reiterated at the conference that the disaster isn’t over. Damage assessments, debris removal and recovery operations will still take days and weeks, he said.

“We’ve been through a lot the last few days, but we’re Travis County, and we’re going to get through this together,” Brown said. “We are committed to doing everything possible to protect lives, help families recover and rebuild stronger than before.”

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