A 75-year-old male is believed to be missing in the city of Leander, and Williamson County is assisting in the recovery effort, Snell said.
The specifics
Out of the three confirmed deaths in Williamson County, two died as a result of rushing water sweeping cars off the road at low water crossings, Snell said. The third confirmed death was from a home that was swept away.
When water began rising in the area, Williamson County sent out 16 emergency alert messages, with several also sent from Warn Central Texas—an alert system people can subscribe to, Snell said.
Snell said Williamson County is still hoping to be added to the federal disaster declaration to receive assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The federal declaration currently only covers Kerr County, an area where residents were impacted the hardest by floods over the Independence Day weekend.
U.S. Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, will work with the federal government to assist in getting Williamson County access to FEMA resources, Community Impact previously reported.
“We're hoping that Williamson County gets that,” Snell said. “That will help us greatly release resources to help us in our cleanup effort.”
What residents should know
Dozens of people are going door-to-door in the county as a home-focused damage assessment process is underway, Director of Emergency Management Bruce Clements said during the news conference.
However, after a disaster, people with private property should first go through their own insurance before seeking assistance from FEMA or volunteer organizations, Clements said.
“Then if we get the [federal disaster] declaration, then we can bring additional resources to supplement what the volunteers have done and what your insurance has done,” Clements said.
Snell encouraged residents to be patient with clean up efforts, as there are strict federal and state guidelines on what can be dumped in landfills. Certain waste—like propane from a destroyed motor home—must be separated.
Williamson County will eventually set up a site to burn natural debris, Snell said.
Diving in deeper
To report damages themselves, property owners may also contact the state’s emergency management website at damage.tdem.texas.gov.
Once the damage information is added to Williamson County’s numbers, county officials may arrive at someone's home to assess damages themselves and categorize it as major or minor damage.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management will receive county information and validate what type of damage a homeowner has before the information gets passed on to FEMA for review, Clements said.
Individuals may also call a crisis cleanup hotline at 512-201-4814, which matches volunteers with people who are in need of assistance after a disaster, Community Impact previously reported.
“That's the best way to connect with our volunteer organizations who are out there in the field right now,” Clements said.
The big picture
Road and bridge crews have worked to bring the number of closed county roads down from 29 July 6 to five July 9, Snell said.
Eight roadways are severely damaged, including two bridges, Snell said. Some repairs have been made, but heavy rain has hindered some efforts. Officials deployed almost 400 tons of material to repair roadways and spent nearly $200,000 so far, he said.
Out of the 54 structures damaged or destroyed in the county, Snell said:
- 11 are completely destroyed
- 15 have major damage
- 17 have minor damage
- 11 are affected
Clements advised residents to find an organized effort to help affected residents instead of volunteering on their own, which poses a safety risk.
“It can be dangerous out there, so please be part of an organized effort that's already underway,” Clements said.
Additional flood resources, safety tips, disaster declarations and more can be found at www.wilcotx.gov/julyflood.
One more thing
Snell declared a local state of disaster for Williamson County, effective 11 a.m. July 5. During a special-called meeting July 11, county commissioners will take action on extending the declaration an additional seven days, Snell said.
