Real Estate Photographer in Lago Vista, TX

Being Texas Strong means carrying each other in moments like this. It also means honing our resilience for the future by learning from the past.

The torrent of floodwaters that crashed through Central Texas over the weekend left an unimaginable trail of wreckage and grief: At least 75 dead along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, plus seven lives lost in Travis, two in Williamson and three in Burnet County, numbers that could continue to rise as the waters recede.

A Kerrville high school coach and a Humble ISD teacher are among the dead; a Marble Falls-area volunteer fire chief is among the missing, along with the person he was trying to rescue. Two dozen families who sent loved ones to enjoy Camp Mystic, either as campers or counselors at the Christian girls' camp in western Kerr County, will never again hold their girls or hear their laughter.

We share in the sorrow of all Central Texans who lost a piece of their world as the waters that sustain our region quickly overwhelmed it. We are grateful for the rescue crews that have whisked hundreds to safety and continue to search for the missing, even as more rainfall complicates their mission. We stand with all of our neighbors whose homes and businesses were reduced to rubble and now face the long climb back to a place resembling normalcy.

Texans, in these moments, become strong for each other.

Gov. Greg Abbott and other state and local leaders are rightly prioritizing efforts to account for every missing person and keep others out of harm’s way.

In the days and weeks ahead, however, Texans deserve a clear-eyed assessment of how such a devastating event unfolded with few warnings or evacuations in an area that Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly called “the most dangerous river valley in the United States.”

Extreme weather has long been a feature of the Texas landscape, a terrain shaped by droughts and floods. The persistence of those perils, and the lives and livelihoods at stake, demand a proactive posture. Instead, almost with an air of resignation, Abbott told reporters Saturday that “ever since I’ve been governor, we’ve had weather events that were completely unpredictable, and that’s just a part of nature.”

But it’s clear this disaster wasn’t “completely unpredictable.” While forecasters underestimated the volume of rainfall that would arrive early Friday morning, the National Weather Service still issued flash flood warnings hours before the Guadalupe River swelled with floodwaters that uprooted trees, overturned cars and swept away cabins.

Kerrville resident Bud Bolton told the Express-News that he saw floodwaters carry away an RV while a family was trapped inside.

“(They were) caught inside that RV, and that RV’s floating away,” Bolton said. “And kids are screaming, and you can’t do nothing for them?”

That question should haunt all Texans, and this editorial board will press for answers. What systems should have protected people in an area known for flooding? How do we keep people — residents, vacationers, summer campers — safe from the next deluge?

For now, rescue crews are scouring the flood zones for the missing. Neighbors are reaching out with helping hands and hopeful prayers. President Donald Trump and officials in his administration have offered much-needed aid for the long recovery ahead.

Being Texas Strong means carrying each other in moments like this. It also means honing our resilience for the future by learning from the past. And in both cases, our work has just begun.

A detour is now in place for the RM 1431 bridge at Cow Creek between Lago Vista and Marble Falls.

What we know:

The detour was announced by TxDOT on Tuesday, July 15.

The RM 1431 bridge at Cow Creek remains closed following the deadly and devastating flooding in Central Texas over the July 4th weekend.

Crews have been removing debris from the creek bed to prepare for the reconstruction of the bridge. Officials have not yet released a timeline of when the bridge will be fixed.

So instead, drivers looking to go from Lago Vista to Marble Falls will have to:

A TxDOT representative said with school coming up, some children live on the east side and go to Marble Falls schools, so they are working with the district to make accommodations.

Residents react

Local perspective:

"Now we don’t know what to do," Marble Falls resident Ed Dib said.

Ed Dib usually takes 1431 to get from Lago Vista to his home in Marble Falls. It is the only direct route.

"I drove this road before and here you could not even see the river. There were a lot of trees, it was kind of narrow and a lot of greenery, but now it’s kind of more open," Dib said.

"Water pushed everything out?" FOX 7 reporter Meredith Aldis asked.

"Yes, it pushed everything out," Dib responded.

Dib is anxiously waiting for a new bridge.

"I was talking with these guys, and they said it’s going to take 4 or 5 months to build the bridge. I don’t know if they’re going to do anything temporary to just go back and forth, but I think it’s going to be hard," Dib said.

Dib said the detour takes a while.

"It takes half a day, you know, it’s inconvenient," Dib said.

He said at the end of the day, it is just an inconvenience.

"This is not a big concern, it’s all these families and kids lost, and that’s sad," Dib said.

The area is where the body of a 17-year-old girl washed up last week. The bridge collapsed as her family was driving over it. Everyone made it out except for her.

The Source: Information in this report comes from TxDOT and reporting by FOX 7 Austin's Meredith Aldis.

In the aftermath of devastating flooding from the July 4 weekend, resources are available but jurisdictional confusion has made it hard for some to find.

The Gist

People in Travis County, which includes the heavily-damaged Sandy Creek and Lago Vista neighborhoods, can call the American Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767 for help with temporary shelter, financial assistance, emotional support and locating missing loved ones.

More information on Travis County resources in response to the disaster can be found here.

People in Williamson County, which includes part of the Rio Ancho neighborhood close to Liberty Hill, who have non-emergency needs, can also contact the Red Cross.

More information on Williamson County resources in the aftermath of the flooding can be found here.

Zooming in

Big Sandy Drive, which goes into the Sandy Creek subdivision, begins with a bridge crossing the Big Sandy Creek from Round Mountain Road. Heavy rainfall from the weekend resulted in water rising over the bridge, slamming it with debris and bringing enough force to slide the top layers of pavement off the road, resulting in the one way in or out of the subdivision closing to vehicles.

About a third of a mile up Round Mountain Road from Big Sandy Drive, volunteers have set up a staging area at Round Mountain Baptist Church where people affected by the disaster can go for food, water, clothing and more.

A resource center will open at noon July 10 at Danielson Middle School in Leander, according to a July 9 Travis County press release. The school is located at 1061 Collaborative Way. The center will offer showers, meals, food boxes, cleaning supplies, health screenings and more, and transportation to and from the center will be available at Round Mountain Baptist Church.

Close to Liberty Hill, homes in the Rio Ancho neighborhood were devastated by flood water when the Southfork San Gabriel River rose and entered the structures over the weekend.

The Rio Ancho homeowners association filled the clubhouse at the back of the neighborhood with water, food and hygiene kits, Celebration Church Pastor Ken DeHart said.

DeHart also noted that Operation Liberty Hill, a thrift store and food pantry, is set up and distributing supplies at 1401 US 183.

What else?

In Kerr County, people can get financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to a press release from Gov. Greg Abbott. People in other counties, including Travis and Williamson, can apply as well, as more counties could become eligible as damage is assessed.

People living outside a city’s limits may still have a city address while not being included in city services. People in those areas may need to turn to their county for assistance.

“It gets very complicated and I know that that’s really frustrating for our residents, because these are our neighbors,” Leander Mayor Christine DeLisle said.

People can input their zip code on the Texas Association of Counties website to find out what county they are in.

What they’re saying

“We know this is an incredibly difficult and emotional time for so many in our community,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown said in the release.

“Our top priority remains the people impacted by this disaster, especially those still missing and their loved ones. Search, rescue, and response efforts are actively ongoing, and we will not stop until every effort has been made to find those unaccounted for.”

“At the same time, we’re working as quickly and safely as possible to restore access, provide support, and help our community begin to recover and heal. Travis County teams, alongside our state partners, are on the ground assessing needs, clearing debris and making sure residents are connected with the help they need,” Brown said.

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Another destructive night of flooding has occurred across parts of Central Texas and the eastern Hill Country. Ten to twenty inches of rain have fallen just northwest of Austin, from Lago Vista to Bertram, Burnet, and Marble Falls.

At times, rainfall rates approached six inches per hour. Heavy rain continues around Burnet County, and we may see that persist for a few more hours.

Heavier rains could shift north toward Lampasas, Bell, and southern Coryell counties later this morning into the early afternoon. Additional localized but significant rain accumulations over five inches may occur, leading to flash flooding.

Rain chances are also expected to continue today in Central Texas, South-Central Texas, and North Texas—San Antonio, Austin, and D/FW will experience rain at times, though much lighter comparatively. We’ll need to ‘nowcast’ the weather today, but I’m hopeful the mesoscale convective vortex (MCV), a term for a small area of low pressure, will weaken late this afternoon, ending this string of flood-prone days.

I thought the same thing yesterday, but it didn’t happen, so we’ll stay alert and ready to adjust the forecast for tonight. If the system doesn’t dissipate—though there’s a low, but not zero, chance—it could bring another round of scattered heavier storms overnight and into Sunday in these regions.

A line of storms will move into the Texas Panhandle from New Mexico this evening, with the risk of locally damaging wind gusts.

Owner and Baldy-in-Chief of Texas Storm Chasers, one of the state’s leading independent weather media brands. I specialize in severe weather coverage, real-time storm tracking, and digital weather communication. Passionate about keeping Texans informed, prepared, and engaged—one forecast at a time.