As floodwaters surged through central Texas over the July 4 weekend, dozens of residents faced life-or-death decisions amid what has become one of the most devastating natural disasters in the region’s recent history. With little warning from forecasters, entire communities were inundated. Survivors from towns like Hunt and Ingram are now recounting their traumatic escapes and losses, shedding light on the true scale of the tragedy.
Residents Caught Off Guard as Waters Rise Swiftly
Many residents say the flooding arrived with minimal notice. Instead of alerts, people were awakened by the sound of thunder, breaking glass, and panicked screams. Rescue teams mobilized rapidly, deploying boats and helicopters to evacuate hundreds. Yet, in many cases, residents were forced to rescue themselves.
Clinging to Survival: A Mother’s Struggle
In Hunt, Taylor Bergmann, 19, and his mother, Erin Burgess, found themselves in a life-threatening situation just before dawn on July 4. Water poured into their home and quickly rose to over five feet. Burgess, still recovering from facial surgery, couldn’t climb to the roof. Instead, the pair wrapped themselves around a tree in their backyard, enduring the rushing current for over an hour.
“I was shielding her from the debris,” Bergmann said. Eventually, the water receded enough for them to reach a neighbor’s house. While their dog and Burgess’s boyfriend were swept away temporarily, all eventually reunited, including their cat, who survived by floating on a mattress. Despite their survival, their home was left uninhabitable. “We’re never living here again,” Bergmann said.
A Couple’s Terrifying Night
Maria and Felipe Tapia, longtime residents of Hunt, awoke to find water rapidly entering their riverside cabin. In just ten minutes, the water level rose to their knees. Fighting against pressure from outside floodwaters, they forced their door open and swam toward higher ground.
Maria described hearing the windows of their home shatter behind them. “It was the worst night of my life,” she said. Their home remains standing, but was badly damaged, and their new truck was swept away. “Hunt was paradise. Now, it’s a ghost town.”
A Young Man’s Desperate Escape
Christian Fell, 25, planned a peaceful July 4 with his grandparents. Instead, he was fighting for survival alone in their flooded home. As water rose to his waist, he escaped through a broken window and perched atop a meter box, balancing there for three hours.
“The house acted like a dam for me,” he said. “It blocked all the debris that would have crushed me.” Eventually, he was able to climb down and reach help. The house, however, was destroyed.
Teen Clings to Life Amid River’s Fury
Addison Martin, 17, was swept into the Guadalupe River after the family’s RV campground flooded. As their attempts to climb trees for safety failed, Addison was separated from her family and carried downstream.
“I remember thinking, ‘I don’t want to die,’” she said. She clung to a branch for hours, praying her tree wouldn’t fall. Eventually, she was rescued and reunited with her brother, but the rest of her family wasn’t as fortunate. Her father and stepmother drowned. Two other relatives remained missing when she spoke to reporters.
Dozens Rescued from Rooftop
At the River Inn Resort in Hunt, Riata Schoepf, 19, and her boyfriend’s family – part of a 33-person group – woke to find floodwaters rising rapidly. With no way out by car, they waded back to the inn and were pulled onto the roof using bedsheets.
They managed to help nearly 50 people to safety. “We saw cars and dumpsters flying by, trees slamming into everything,” Schoepf recalled. Once floodwaters subsided, they were transported to a shelter.
Schoepf later described the silence and shock that fell over the survivors. “It wasn’t even like it was a flood. It was like something out of this world.”
Ongoing Recovery and Uncertainty
As the water retreats, the true toll of the flooding is becoming clearer. Several residents remain missing, homes and vehicles have been destroyed, and entire communities have been left unrecognizable.
Officials continue search and recovery efforts as residents begin the painful task of rebuilding or relocating. GoFundMe pages have been established to support families like the Martins, while mental health professionals warn that the psychological effects may linger long after the waters have receded.
The unprecedented nature of the flood has left survivors with a common sentiment: gratitude for life, sorrow for those lost, and uncertainty about what comes next.
