Colorado River overflows in Bastrop County, evacuates several
BASTROP COUNTY, Texas-- Residents in Bastrop County were forced to evacuate their homes early Saturday morning after the Colorado River quickly overflowed in that area.
It didn't take long for the river to overflow and wreak havoc in several parts of the county.
Guy Howze lives at the Colorado River RV Park. He was told to leave his home just before 5:00 a.m.
“The firemen helped me hook up one trailer and I got it moved. Then I just grabbed clothes and I got out of here,” Howze said.
In his six years living there, he has not seen anything like this.
“It never got up to where it is now,” he said.
Craig Swanson owns a nearby farm, which was swallowed by the floodwaters. “We certainly weren't expecting this,” Swanson said.
Swanson says the water swept away 2,000 of the pumpkins he grows, but he was able to prevent a lot more devastation, by coming out the night before.
“We got out here around 9:00 and then we were working to get our farm animals moved out,” he said.
Swanson is glad he was able to save his livestock, and believes things could have always gone worse.
“For us to have this little event that affected us in a small way, you're just very grateful for the good things that you do have,” he said.
People living along the Colorado River across the county were sent to higher ground. This included residents in both the cities of Bastrop and Smithville. Many evacuees were directed to Elgin Baptist Church if they had nowhere else to go.
The National Weather Service expects the county to be in flood stage through Nov.1 and possibly Nov 2.
“It is what it is. We're going to bounce back from it,” Swanson said.
Over the last few weeks, Bastrop County has been Mother Nature's whipping boy by going from droughts and fires to floods. Those who live in Bastrop County believe this is just another storm they can wade through.
“The residents of Bastrop are very a very resilient group. They've been tested time and time again, and they always bounce back,” Swanson said.