Man and Woman Found Clinging to Trees After Car Got Swept Away by Texas Floodwaters
“We are grateful to have reached them in time,” officials said of the pair, who were swept away over a week after the devastating 4th of July floods
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The vehicle was forced through a culvert on July 13.Credit :
Texas Game Wardens/Facebook
NEED TO KNOWA man and woman were found clinging to trees after their car was forced through a culvert in Lampasas County, Texas, in the early hours of July 13Their vehicle had been swept almost a mile downstream by the quick-moving watersThe ordeal occurred a little over a week after the flooding in Central Texas killed 132 people
Harrowing stories of loss and survival continue to emerge as dangerous flood conditions persist in Texas Hill Country.
On Sunday, July 13, a man and woman were found clinging to trees after their car was taken over by floodwaters in Lampasas County, the Texas Game Wardens said in a statement on Facebook.
“A man and woman were in a car that was forced by floodwaters through the square culvert beneath railroad tracks,” officials said. “The car was completely submerged during that time.”
Fortunately, the pair were able to escape the vehicle.
In the early hours of Sunday, emergency responders found the man hanging on to a tree that was 15 feet above the water, while the woman was discovered 50 to 100 yards downstream clinging to another tree. Their vehicle had been swept almost a mile downstream by the quick-moving waters.
“We are grateful to have reached them in time,” the agency said, “and thankful for a relatively happy ending amidst the sadness and devastation Texas has experienced lately.” There is no further information about the status of the two people following the daunting rescue.
The Lampasas County Sheriff’s Office deferred to the Texas Game Wardens, the lead agency in the rescue, when contacted by PEOPLE. The agency had no further information to add when contacted by PEOPLE.
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The culvert that the car was forced through.
Texas Game Wardens/Facebook
The terrifying incident comes a little over a week after heavy rains caused the Guadalupe River to rise and bring devastation to Central Texas on the Fourth of July, nearly three hours away from Lampasas County. As of Tuesday, July 15, 132 people have died, while fewer than 100 remain missing, The New York Times reported.
Even as questions have swirled around emergency preparedness, survivors and families of the missing have extended their thanks to the people on the front lines.
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The vehicle was completely submerged by water.
Texas Game Wardens/Facebook
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“Love wins,” wrote Alden Towler on Instagram. He and his family were saved after climbing to their cabin roof to escape the floodwaters, which destroyed nearby homes that Friday morning. “Surviving the devastating and terrifying floods in Hunt, TX was a reminder that at our core,” he continued, “humans are compassionate beings with an unstoppable drive to love one another, despite our differences.”
To learn how to help support the victims and recovery efforts from the Texas floods, click here.