Flood recovery, assessment underway in Fayette County following storms
LA GRANGE, Texas - As floodwaters continued to recede Wednesday from Hwy 71 near La Grange, a shivering armadillo emerged and rested on higher ground. Its situation, of recovery and assessment, was typical for many, like Jackie Burgh. She was out checking septic tanks.
"Right now, I have one that’s underwater, and I’m not sure what I’m gonna be able to do for them, but I’m going to get there and see what I have to do," said Burgh.
Work started early across Fayette County. Railroad tracks that washed out in La Grange were repaired before sunrise. Highway road crews we’re also busy. One team was removing debris from under a bridge on Highway 77. But parking lots that were damage, like one in Flatonia, will take longer to fix. The spot is an example of how quickly flash flooding can hit and then recede.
Tuesday evening, the intersection at I-10 and Farm Road 609 was underwater. "All of a sudden the whole interstate was flooded, a car was trapped underneath and we were yeah pretty scared," said Kaywin Kubesch.
Kubesch who owns a gift shop near the intersection called Rhinestone Angel recorded video of the flooding from her store.
"They couldn’t even see the road, they were still trying to pass, there are huge Gulley‘s right in front of us, so I was I hope they get on the right, I hope they hit the road, not the Gulley because it was moving really fast," said Kubesch.
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In downtown Flatonia, that fast-moving water swept into Headlines Salon. Wednesday as clean-up continued you could still see the waterline on the front porch and on Melissa Kessler’s SUV.
"This is where the water showed but it was all the way up here," said Kessler.
Melissa was inside the salon at the time with a client. "It got up the stairs then it started coming faster and faster, and it went inside, and it started getting inside and we were barefoot it."
Kessler went on to say that she and the client decided they could not wait for help to arrive.
"We shut the door, ran out, I had to get on top of the bench, it was past my knees, and then it got up to our waist, once we got down to come around to get out of here," said Kessler.
The transition from rescue, escape, to recovery took less than 24 hours.
The Fayette County Sheriff's Office tells FOX 7 Austin they did about a half dozen water rescues. It’s believed a tornado briefly touched down in the community of Swiss Alp. Officials say damage is limited mainly to flooding and some downed trees. Wednesday night, extra staffing with the sheriff's office is on standby in case heavy rain redevelops.