Texas flooding: At least 4 dead in Burnet County; search and recovery efforts underway
Texas flooding: 4 dead in Burnet County
Burnet County officials said search and recovery efforts are underway after severe flooding this past weekend.
BURNET COUNTY, Texas - Burnet County officials said search and recovery efforts are underway after severe flooding this past weekend.
As of July 7, at least four people are dead, and two others are still missing in Burnet County.
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Burnet County flooding
Local perspective:
Residents and volunteers spent Monday salvaging what they could from apartment units at Hamilton Creek Manor in Burnet.
Samuel DuPriest is among the survivors from the Saturday morning flood and rode it out on his couch.
"And I sat down on that couch and went, ‘dear god, I hope this stays because I can’t sit in this nasty water,’" said DuPriest.
Debris and smashed vehicles were scattered along Hamilton Creek. On the Hwy 281 bridge is where Will Venus started the search for his dad.
"The only thing I can do is look, man. I don’t know what else to do," said Will Venus.
FULL: Burnet Co. sheriff with latest on flooding
Burnet County Sheriff Calvin Boyd provides an update on recovery and rescue efforts in the county, including for a missing fire chief, and answers questions from the media.
Bill Venus, who is from Belton, delivers medication. Will believes his dad was making a run on Saturday morning.
On Monday afternoon, Burnet police gave Will a brown bag filled with his father’s possessions that were found in his car. Will drove in from his home in Maryland and is determined to stay until he gets an answer.
"I’m not got to give up, and he is not the type to give up either," said Venus.
Along with Bill Venus, a search continued Monday for Volunteer Fire Chief Michael Phillps, who was swept off a road near Marble Falls.
On Monday afternoon, Burnet County officials said helicopters were needed to reach several search zones.
"We can’t get horses now, we can’t ATVs in now, but we will be able to get those in within the next couple of days, if we quit getting the rain," said Chief Deputy Alan Trevino of the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office.
Marble Falls volunteer fire chief missing after floods
Burnet County Sheriff's Office is actively searching for two missing individuals, including the Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief, Michael Phillips.
Burnet County Sheriff Clavin Boyd noted the four confirmed deaths could have been more, if not for 62 successful rescues.
"They were anything from people being in an attic in their homes to being on top of their houses, and trees on top of their cars, and sometimes we skip over that and not talk about the rescues. So, this could have been a lot worse," said Sheriff Boyd.
Some of the flood victims are helping with the search and cleanup. People like Hannah Hatfield and her daughters.
"Because we have friends out there to make sure they are OK there, too," said Hatfield.
The Burnet County flooding hit familiar high-risk areas. A future remediation program could target those areas for property buyouts, Burnet County EMA director Derek Marchio said.
"It is a definite option," said Marchio.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Rudy Koski and previous coverage