Officials: TAKE SHELTER
by Alexandria Randolph
UPDATE:
1:50 p.m. Officials are suggesting residents DO NOT CROSS any low water crossings and take shelter immediately.
1:30 p.m. a tornado warning has been issued for the Highland Lakes area. Sightings of funnel touchdowns have been reported in the Spicewood and Buchanan Dam area.
With heavy rainfalls continuing, flash flooding is still a concern in the Highland Lakes and across the region.
The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning to continue until 2:15 p.m. Monday afternoon, May 25, as well as a tornado watch until 4 p.m.
The flash flood warning states that flooding is “occurring or imminent” and additional one to three inches of rainfall and flooding is expected in the following areas: Kingsland, Marble Falls, Burnet, Bertram, Buchanan Dam, Granite Shoals, Horseshoe Bay, Sunrise Beach Village, Cottonwood Shores, Meadowlakes, Highland Haven, Spicewood, Smithwick, Oatmeal, Shady Grove, Inks Lake State Park, Sunnylane, Joppa, Watson, Lake Victor and Watson.
The warning urges residents to “move to higher ground now” and to “know where you are relative to streams, rivers, or creeks which can become killers in heavy rains.”
Burnet, Blanco, Llano, Travis, Williamson and surrounding counties are under a tornado watch until 4 p.m. Monday afternoon.
The Lower Colorado River Authority recorded weekend rainfall totals as follows:
Marble Falls, 4.06; Backbone Creek at Marble Falls, 1.89; Spicewood, 4.18; Bertram, 3.33; Burnet, 2.07; Tow, 1.39; Llano, 3.28; Kingsland, 1.44; Sandy Creek near Kingsland, 1.89; Round Mountain, 2.62; Johnson City, 6.04; Blanco, 9.44; Mason, 4.46.
Heavy rainfall and flooding has caused mass power outages in the Blanco, Wimberley and San Marcos areas, according to a Pedernales Electric Cooperative press release.
In what is being called “historic, catastrophic flooding” along the Blanco River, reports are stating over 350 homes swept away, over 1,000 residents displaced, eight people missing and at least one known fatality.
